Stigma of Substance Use Disorder Varies by Condition, Provider

WEDNESDAY, July 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Health care provider stigma toward substance use disorder (SUD) varies by condition and provider, according to a study published online July 23 in Addiction.

Carrigan L. Parish, Ph.D., from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues quantified the prevalence and intensity of provider stigma toward patients with SUD by substance use type and compared with other conditions using a national probability sample survey, conducted from October 2020 to October 2022. Data were obtained from 1,240 randomly selected primary care physicians (PCPs) and emergency medicine physicians (EMPs) and dentists.

The researchers found the lowest stigma rating for diabetes and the highest for stimulant use disorders (mean, 23.2 and 36.3, respectively). Significantly higher stigma was seen toward opioid use disorder versus alcohol use disorder (effect size, 0.49), while stigma toward stimulant use disorders was significantly higher than toward opioid use disorder (effect size, 0.11). Significantly higher stigma scores were seen for EMPs than PCPs, while stigma scores were significantly higher for PCPs than dentists. There was an association for lower stigma scores with provision of SUD referrals (effect size, −0.37), providing medications (effect sizes, −0.44, −1.26, and −0.73 for alcohol, opioid, and stimulant use disorder, respectively), and having available SUD consultation (effect sizes, −0.48, −0.51, and −0.59 for alcohol, opioid, and stimulant use disorders, respectively).

“Our findings show that many providers still feel uncomfortable treating patients with substance use disorders and that hesitancy leads directly to missed opportunities for care,” Parish said in a statement.

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