Although the SAMHSA national reports constantly indicate a significant number of individuals living with substance related disorders, alcohol and drug addiction is still highly stigmatized in today’s society. Those suffering from mental illness, which encompasses substance abuse disorders, face immense disadvantages due to perceived, enacted, and self-stigma (Luoma, Kohlenberg, Hayes, Bunting, & Rye, 2008; Luoma, et al., 2007). Perceived stigma is the tendency for stigmatized individuals to believe most people hold common negative stereotypes about the stigmatized group they belong to (Kulesza, Ramsey, Brown, & Larimer, 2014). Enacted stigma is directly experienced discrimination and rejection from members of the larger society (e.g. poor support
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Previous literature suggests that substance abuse is more stigmatized than all other mental illness, evoking greater negative social attitudes than disorders like schizophrenia (Corrigan et al. 2000; Crisp, Gelder, Rix, Meltzer, & Rowlands, 2000). Additional research reported that the majority of the U.S. public views individuals with substance use disorders negatively, believing that they are “lazy”, “losers” and have “no future” (Blendon & Young, 1998). Self -stigma associated with mental illness, including substance abuse disorders can deter individuals from seeking treatment or cause them to avoid treatment all together (Fung et al., 2008; Livingston & Boyd, 2010). Therefore, it is important to contribute to previous research on societal stigma and self-stigma in order to have a better understanding of it’s effects on individual’s thought processes and implement the most successful treatment …show more content…
One study found more underreporting of cocaine than of marijuana use (Fendrich & Vaughn, 1994), suggesting substance abusers use less deception when reporting less stigmatized drugs. Another study found that intravenous drug users reported more perceived stigma, more experiences of stigma-related rejection and more secrecy coping, compared to non-intravenous drug users (Luoma, et al., 2008). Our research aims to identify differences in self-deception among alcohol abusers, drug abusers, and both alcohol and drug abusers in order to identify the amount of societal stigma surrounding a behavior as a correlate of
Previous literature suggests that substance abuse is more stigmatized than all other mental illness, evoking greater negative social attitudes than disorders like schizophrenia (Corrigan et al. 2000; Crisp, Gelder, Rix, Meltzer, & Rowlands, 2000). Additional research reported that the majority of the U.S. public views individuals with substance use disorders negatively, believing that they are “lazy”, “losers” and have “no future” (Blendon & Young, 1998). Self -stigma associated with mental illness, including substance abuse disorders can deter individuals from seeking treatment or cause them to avoid treatment all together (Fung et al., 2008; Livingston & Boyd, 2010). Therefore, it is important to contribute to previous research on societal stigma and self-stigma in order to have a better understanding of it’s effects on individual’s thought processes and implement the most successful treatment …show more content…
One study found more underreporting of cocaine than of marijuana use (Fendrich & Vaughn, 1994), suggesting substance abusers use less deception when reporting less stigmatized drugs. Another study found that intravenous drug users reported more perceived stigma, more experiences of stigma-related rejection and more secrecy coping, compared to non-intravenous drug users (Luoma, et al., 2008). Our research aims to identify differences in self-deception among alcohol abusers, drug abusers, and both alcohol and drug abusers in order to identify the amount of societal stigma surrounding a behavior as a correlate of