Belief that addiction is a discrete category is a stronger correlate with stigma than the belief that addiction is biologically based.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Drug addiction is stigmatized, and this stigma contributes to poor outcomes for individuals with addiction. Researchers have argued that providing genetic explanations of addiction will reduce stigma, but there has been limited research testing this prediction.

Methods

We presented participants (N = 252) with news articles that either provided genetic or anti-genetic explanations of addiction.

Results

There was no effect of article condition on stigma. Participants' biological essentialism correlated with stigma in the context of both opioid and methamphetamine addiction. However, participants' non-biological essentialism was a significantly stronger correlate with stigma.

Conclusions

This suggests that other essentialist beliefs, like belief that ca

SUBMITTER: Siddiqui H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9830773 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature