Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences They tried to make me go to rehab Self-stigma & social identity in recovery Melinda Beckwith PhD Candidate Turning Point Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University Melinda Beckwith PhD Candidate Turning Point Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University
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Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
They tried to make me go to rehab
Self-stigma & social identity in recovery
Melinda Beckwith PhD Candidate
Turning Point Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University
Melinda Beckwith PhD Candidate
Turning Point Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University
Context § Move towards recovery-oriented practice and systems of care in AOD
§ Recovery-oriented care focuses on improving quality of life
– not just symptom reduction (ie reducing or stopping use) but also • improved physical & mental wellbeing • increased engagement with community
§ We don’t know a lot about HOW people recover from substance use issues
Yes, I’ve been black but when I come back you’ll know, know, know
Social Identity Model of Recovery
Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery § If recovery is socially negotiated, societal stigma & discrimination
present barriers to recovery
– Even in recovery, people are still subject to stigma for past use
§ Stigma re drug use (enacted, & perceived) has been linked to:
– Poorer physical health
– Poorer mental health
– Poorer social outcomes
…all the areas we want to see improve in recovery
He said “I just think you’re depressed” This me “Yeah, baby, and the rest”
Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery
§ In many ways, society is not structured to support recovery
§ little research has been conducted on the effects of self-stigma (internalised stigma) – a measure only developed recently
§ Self-stigma results from internalisation of negative view of self as a function of identification with a stigmatised group (ie people who use drugs/drink heavily)
He said “I just think you’re depressed” This me “Yeah, baby, and the rest”
Research Questions
1. Is self-stigma related to self-identification as a ‘user’/’drinker’?
2. Does self-stigma impact wellbeing and other indicators of recovery (physical and mental wellbeing, quality of life, & ‘recovery capital’)?
Study design § 109 new residents of two Therapeutic Communities in Victoria
§ Interviewed approx 2-4 weeks after admission
§ Part of longitudinal study, at 5 TCs, involving large battery of measures
Demographics
Male 66.5%
Mean age at baseline interview 35.6 (range 18-67)
Mean age of problematic use 19.9 (range 9-56)
Sample Primary drug of concern % of sample
Amphetamine 36.1
Alcohol 28.4
Heroin 23.2
Other 12.3
Ever injected 59.4
Ever in jail 34.0
Any co-occurring mental health condition 77.4
Currently employed 17.1
Measures Internalised stigma related to substance use
Substance Abuse Self-Stigma Scale (SASSS)
• 4 subscales – self-devaluation
» “I feel ashamed of myself”– fear of enacted stigma
» “People would be scared of me if they knew about my substance use history”
– stigma avoidance » “I avoid situations that make me feel different”
– values disengagement (reverse scored) » “I do things that are good for me, even if I feel like I don’t deserve it”
Measures Social Identity
• Identification with social category ‘drug user’/‘drinker’