Risk factors for experiencing substance use-related employment stigma among emergency department patients at high risk of opioid overdose.

ABSTRACT:

Background

People who use drugs report hesitance to seek employment because of stigma around drug use, which other forms of stigma may compound. We evaluated risk factors for substance use-related employment stigma among emergency department (ED) patients who use drugs.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study among ED patients at high risk of opioid overdose in Rhode Island. The outcomes were three self-reported measures of substance use-related employment stigma. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to estimate the association between participant characteristics and each outcome.

Results

Among 648 participants, 25.8% reported they had been turned down for a job due to current/past drug use, 40.8% disagreed that most employers will hire someone treated for

SUBMITTER: Welwean R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12541974 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature