Approximately twenty million Americans suffer from substance use disorders, often with devastating consequences. Beyond personal distress and impairment, individuals experiencing substance abuse encounter significant stigma from others. The present investigation sought to examine whether this stigma toward individuals with substance abuse problems is affected by two demographic characteristics: gender (male vs. female) and parental status (married with children vs. married without children). In this study, 415 online participants read a short description of a hypothetical opioid abuser and then rated their perceptions of the individual’s dangerousness and responsibility, and they completed a 5-item rating scale assessing their feelings if interacting with the individual. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of four descriptions, differing only according to the gender or parental status of the hypothetical opioid abuser. The results indicated that overall, participants have moderate levels of stigma towards the hypothetical subject of the vignette. The four conditions only differed significantly in terms of dangerousness rating and caring affect (empathy, sympathy, and supportiveness). The male nonparent opioid abuser was seen as significantly more dangerous than the mother by participants. Further, the male nonparent was viewed with significantly less caring and sympathy than the female nonparent. Based on the results of this study, males are viewed with less stigmatizing attitudes than females or mothers and overall levels of stigma towards opioid abuse are moderate. Understanding the nature of stigma towards this population could be used to reduce stigma and subsequently decrease barriers to care as well as increase health and quality of life.
