The effect of person‐first language on attitudes toward people with addiction

Baker, Emily; Hamilton, Mark; Culpepper, Danielle; McCune, Grace; Silone, Gabriella

doi:10.1002/jaoc.12102

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Clinical and public health interventions should focus on addressing shortages of addiction specialists and funding, challenging discriminatory attitudes and implicit biases, and providing trauma-informed care for PWUD affected by xylazine [ 51 , 52 ]. Person-first language when referring to people who use xylazine should be widely integrated into clinical training and education programs to mitigate stigma [ 53 , 54 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health impact and harm reduction implications of xylazine-involved overdoses: a narrative review

Zhu

2023

Harm Reduct J

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Introduction Xylazine, an α2-adrenoceptor agonist sedative commonly used in veterinary medicine, is not approved for human use. Nevertheless, xylazine-involved overdose rates have surged in recent years, fueled by an increasingly toxic and synthetic illicit drug supply in North America. Methods This narrative review assessed major epidemiological trends in xylazine-involved overdoses in North America, aiming to identify harm reduction priorities. A literature search was conducted using four bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and ScienceDirect) and three preprint servers (medRxiv, bioRxiv, and Europe PMC) on May 28, 2023, to capture articles related to combinations of keywords such as “xylazine”, “opioid”, and “harm reduction”. Results Xylazine emerged as an adulterant in Puerto Rico in 2001, likely diverted from veterinary supplies. By the mid-2010s, it began proliferating across unregulated US drug markets, often contemporaneously with illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), displaying characteristics of a syndemic. Initially concentrated in Northeastern regions (e.g., Philadelphia, Connecticut, Maryland), xylazine-involved overdoses later extended to the Rust Belt, Southern, and Western regions of the USA in the late 2010s and early 2020s. During this time, xylazine-involved overdoses also surged in Canada, particularly in Western provinces (British Columbia and Alberta) and Ontario with established IMF-dominated unregulated drug markets. Discussion Over the past two decades, xylazine-involved overdoses have been rapidly rising in North America and exhibit few signs of slowing down, representing a serious public health epidemic. Numerous factors may have contributed to this, including limited epidemiological surveillance and drug checking for xylazine and emerging novel adulterants; further, barriers to comprehensive, trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing treatment and social services have also exacerbated this issue. While several epidemiological and ethnographic studies have assessed these factors in the USA, limited evidence is available in Canada where xylazine emerged more recently. This underscores the need for additional research and harm reduction measures. Conclusion Harm reduction-informed public health guidelines and programs are urgently needed to promote a safer supply, strengthen the healthcare system capacity to prevent and respond to xylazine-involved overdoses, and address social and structural disparities in health outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health impact and harm reduction implications of xylazine-involved overdoses: a narrative review

Zhu

2023

Harm Reduct J

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“…The authors found significantly more negative implicit outgroup attitudes associated with the label "substance abuser". Endorsing these findings, “addicts” were viewed as more inferior than “people with addiction”, and participants endorsed maintaining social distance to “addicts” more strongly; sympathy and helping intentions were also lower for “addicts” [ 10 ]. Furthermore, a study that recruited professional counselors reported that participants expressed higher levels of tolerance towards “people with mental illnesses” than “the mentally ill” [ 14 ].…”

Section: Person-first Language and Its Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the prevalence of negative implicit associations differed to a moderate extent between participants exposed to the terms "substance abuser" or "person with a substance use disorder" (d = .39; [ 9 ]). A moderate-large difference in levels of sympathy or willingness to help was documented when others were described as "addicts" instead of "people with addiction” (d = .61; [ 10 ]; see Granello and Gibbs [ 14 ] for moderate-large effects when comparing attitudes towards “people with mental illnesses” and “the mentally ill”). Exposure to person-first rather than crime-first language, in turn, led to only a small decrease in perceived recidivism risk of violent offenders (d = .21; [ 11 ]).…”

Section: Generalizing the Person-first Language Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does attitude importance moderate the effects of person-first language? A registered report

Schumann,

Zohny

2024

PLoS ONE

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Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to outgroup descriptions that use person-first, as compared to identity-first, language can attenuate negative stereotypes or prejudice and enhance support for policies that seek to advance outgroup rights. However, those benefits of person-first language may not apply to all social groups equally. The present study examines a boundary condition of the effects of person-first language. Specifically, we postulate that person-first language reduces the stigmatization of outgroups to a lesser degree if individuals hold more important negative attitudes towards the respective communities. We will test this hypothesis in a two-factorial 2 (target group) x 2 (descriptor) online experiment that includes a control group and for which we will recruit a general-population sample (N = 681). Stereotyping, dehumanization, as well as negative affect and behavioral intentions towards two outgroups will be compared: people with a physical disability/the physically disabled (i.e., negative attitudes are expected to be less important) and people who have committed a violent crime/violent criminals (i.e., negative attitudes are expected to be more important). Our findings will bear implications for understanding when language use could influence public opinion of different social groups. Additionally, the research can inform the development of more effective communication policies to promote inclusion and reduce stigma.

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“…Nonetheless, the limited empirical work on this topic is promising. Specifically, describing someone as “having a substance use disorder” or “a person with addiction” rather than a “substance abuser” or an “addict,” respectively, has been shown to reduce stigma (Baker et al, 2022; Kelly & Westerhoff, 2010). It remains to be seen whether person-first language in policies or laws could shift support for SUD, but this is an important area for future work.…”

Section: Developing Interventions That Are Effective In Reducing Stig...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Stigma Toward Substance Dependence: Causes, Consequences, and Potential Interventions

Krendl,

Perry

2023

Psychol Sci Public Interest

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Substance dependence is a prevalent and urgent public health problem. In 2021, 60 million Americans reported abusing alcohol within the month prior to being surveyed, and nearly 20 million Americans reported using illegal drugs (e.g., heroin) or prescription drugs (e.g., opioids) for nonmedical reasons in the year before. Drug-involved overdose rates have been steadily increasing over the past 20 years. This increase has been primarily driven by opioid and stimulant use. Despite its prevalence, drug dependence is one of the most stigmatized health conditions. Stigma has myriad negative consequences for its targets, including limiting their access to employment and housing, disrupting interpersonal relationships, harming physical and mental health, and reducing help-seeking. However, because research on stigma toward people with substance use disorders (SUDs) is relatively sparse compared with research on stigma toward other mental illnesses, the field lacks a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of SUD stigma. Moreover, it remains unclear how, if at all, these factors differ from other types of mental illness stigma. The goal of this review is to take stock of the literature on SUD stigma, providing a clear set of foundational principles and a blueprint for future research and translational activity.

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The effect of person‐first language on attitudes toward people with addiction

Abstract: We examined the impact of language on addiction stigma when using postmodified nouns versus premodified nouns. Use of postmodified nouns was associated with less authoritarian stigmatizing attitudes and higher benevolence than those who received the version with premodified nouns.

Cited by 9 publications

References 64 publications

Public health impact and harm reduction implications of xylazine-involved overdoses: a narrative review

Public health impact and harm reduction implications of xylazine-involved overdoses: a narrative review

Does attitude importance moderate the effects of person-first language? A registered report

Stigma Toward Substance Dependence: Causes, Consequences, and Potential Interventions

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