Internalized Stigma Among People Who Inject Drugs

Elena Cama, Loren Brener, Hannah Wilson, Courtney von Hippel

Perceived experiences of stigma have been found to be associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes and engagement in risk practices among people who inject drugs. Yet the extent to which people internalize or accept the stigma surrounding their injecting drug use, and whether this is associated with risky injecting practices, is not well known. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of internalized stigma among a sample of people who inject drugs in Australia and identify socio-demographic, injecting risk, and mental health correlates. People who inject drugs were recruited from a needle and syringe program located in Sydney, Australia to complete a brief survey. The survey included measures of internalized stigma, severity of drug dependence, self-esteem, depression, and shared use of injecting equipment. The sample comprised 102 people who inject drugs. Internalized stigma was higher among participants who reported being depressed in the past month, and was also associated with greater severity of drug dependence and diminished self-esteem. There was no relationship between internalized stigma and shared use of needles or other injecting equipment in the past month. Findings underscore the need for further investigation of internalized stigma among people who inject drugs. In particular, future research should assess the impact of implicit (i.e., subconscious) internalized stigma on mental health.