A cross-sectional study of stigma towards opioid users among rural law enforcement and community members in tennessee.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The U.S. opioid crisis, resulting in nearly 500,000 deaths from 1999 to 2019, has been exacerbated by persistent stigma, which hinders treatment and recovery efforts. This stigma, whether structural, social, or self-imposed, challenges overdose prevention and recovery. Our study aimed to assess and compare levels of stigma towards opioid users among rural law enforcement officers (LEOs) and community members in Tennessee, highlighting rural community-level attitudes.

Methods

Methods involved surveying two groups: LEOs (N=48) and community members (N=393). Utilizing a Likert Scale based on prior research, the survey probed attitudes toward drug use across four stigma domains: dangerousness, blame, social distancing, and fatalism. Analysis employed standardized scor

SUBMITTER: Stone KW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11549791 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature