FACTORS INFLUENCING STIGMA IN THE CARE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS: A LITERATURE REVIEW
Jaakkola, Oona; Pääkkönen, Suvi (2024)
2024
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917740
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024052917740
Tiivistelmä
Substance use disorders are a global health care concern. Stigma related to substance use disorders is present in healthcare settings and experienced through treatment disparities.
The thesis was undertaken to investigate the factors contributing to stigma in the care of individuals with substance use disorders. Perspectives and experiences were explored from viewpoints of those with substance use disorders, as well as nurses and nursing students. The aim was to gain knowledge of the multitude of stigma to improve healthcare access and experiences of patients with substance
use disorders and provide nurses with tools to reflect where negative attitudes stem from.
The thesis was conducted in the form of a descriptive literature review of twenty selected articles through systematic database search and manual search. The research was secondary research consisting of material from previous qualitative research on the subject. Due to scarcity of prior research on substance use stigma in healthcare, a notable number of articles were found manually. The qualitative data collected was analysed through thematic analysis.
The main results showed that contributing factors of stigma were related to the complexity of the patient population, attitudes and behaviours of both healthcare professionals, people with substance use disorders, and organizational factors effecting the care and treatment.
Findings suggest that nurses lack education and resources to provide care for patients with substance use disorders. Negative experiences and attitudes perpetuate stigma, while positive interactions foster better outcomes, suggesting understanding increases empathy. Stigmatizing language has significant implications for patients in healthcare settings creating negative presumptions toward the complex patient population.
The thesis was undertaken to investigate the factors contributing to stigma in the care of individuals with substance use disorders. Perspectives and experiences were explored from viewpoints of those with substance use disorders, as well as nurses and nursing students. The aim was to gain knowledge of the multitude of stigma to improve healthcare access and experiences of patients with substance
use disorders and provide nurses with tools to reflect where negative attitudes stem from.
The thesis was conducted in the form of a descriptive literature review of twenty selected articles through systematic database search and manual search. The research was secondary research consisting of material from previous qualitative research on the subject. Due to scarcity of prior research on substance use stigma in healthcare, a notable number of articles were found manually. The qualitative data collected was analysed through thematic analysis.
The main results showed that contributing factors of stigma were related to the complexity of the patient population, attitudes and behaviours of both healthcare professionals, people with substance use disorders, and organizational factors effecting the care and treatment.
Findings suggest that nurses lack education and resources to provide care for patients with substance use disorders. Negative experiences and attitudes perpetuate stigma, while positive interactions foster better outcomes, suggesting understanding increases empathy. Stigmatizing language has significant implications for patients in healthcare settings creating negative presumptions toward the complex patient population.