Major

Clinical Psychology

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Kelly Moore

Abstract

Self-stigma has been shown to negatively impact treatment engagement, recovery, and reintegration outcomes among individuals with substance use and criminal histories (Moore et al., 2023). Further, prior research has shown that markers of an individual’s substance use treatment history (e.g., number of prior treatment episodes and perceived substance use severity; Hammarlund et al., 2018; Luoma et al., 2012; Silveira et al., 2016) and negative experiences with medical professionals (Hoover et al., 2022; Muncan et al. 2020) are closely linked to self-stigma. While these factors independently contribute to one’s level of self-stigma, to our knowledge, no prior work has examined how markers of substance use severity and negative experiences with medical professionals interact to impact levels of self-stigma among individuals with both substance use and criminal histories. The current study aims to address this gap by examining the moderating effect of enacted stigma from medical providers on the relationship between markers of substance use severity and self-stigma. Archival data from participants (N = 65) who were engaged with an incarceration diversion program was used for data analysis. Two separate moderation models examining the impact of enacted stigma on the relationship between markers of substance-use severity and self-stigma were analyzed using the PROCESS procedure for SPSS. Results suggested that enacted stigma was a significant predictor of self-stigma, whereas perceived substance use severity, prior substance use treatment history, and the interaction between these variables were not. Results of the proposed study help identify key factors contributing to self-stigma among individuals with highly stigmatized identities. Understanding these mechanisms can inform stigma-reduction interventions, improve treatment engagement, and promote recovery and reintegration outcomes for individuals navigating both substance use and criminal justice systems.

Document Type

Culminating Research Project

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