A qualitative examination of social identity and stigma among adolescents recovering from alcohol or drug use

Jul 7, 2023Addictive behaviors reports

How Social Identity and Stigma Affect Teens Recovering from Alcohol or Drug Use

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Participants expressed stigmatizing attitudes towards themselves and others in their social networks regarding AOD use.

Youth in recovery reported internalized stigma related to their substance use disorders.
Many participants perceived negative reactions from their social networks about their AOD use.
Stigmatizing terminology was commonly used by participants when discussing themselves and others who used substances.
The presence of stigma may impede the development of a healthy social identity among youth.
Youth's experiences of stigma could act as barriers to engaging in recovery supports.

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INTRODUCTION: Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders are stigmatized conditions, but little is known about youth's experience of this stigma, which may threaten their developing social identity and recovery process. This study investigates youth's perceptions of AOD use-related stigma in the context of their social identity.

METHODS: This study uses data from 12 youth (ages 17-19) who were in recovery from problematic AOD use. Participants completed a Social Identity Mapping in Addiction Recovery (SIM-AR) exercise, in which they created a visual map of their social groups, and semi-structured interview, in which participants were asked about their experience creating their SIM-AR and reflections on their social network. SIM-AR data were descriptively analyzed, and interviews were thematically analyzed for instances of stigma.

RESULTS: Using stigmatizing terminology, participants expressed some stigmatizing attitudes towards themselves and others in their network who used substances and perceived both positive and negative reactions from those who knew about their disorder. Findings suggest that youth may experience some internalized stigma and perceive stigma from others in their social networks, which may be a barrier to the development of a healthy social identity and engagement in recovery supports.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings should be considered when seeking to engage youth in treatment and recovery programming. Despite the small sample, the findings suggest the importance of considering how stigma may influence adolescents' treatment and recovery experience in the context of their social environment.

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A qualitative examination of social identity and stigma among adolescents recovering from alcohol or drug use

Abstract

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