In the 1970s and 1980s, medical practitioners and researchers began to recognize how little was known about providing adequate treatment to women with substance use disorders.Researchsuggests that women are less likely to develop a substance use disorder compared to men. However, women often develop drug and alcohol addictions faster than men do, and they frequently face more barriers to treatment. Interestingly, the third category of women, «High and Diverse,» was also characterized by thinking that they could handle their SUD on their own without treatment, as well as concerns about logistics and stigmatization.
Social Control
The adverse effects of drugs were not visible yet to others, allowing these women to conceal their use. Many of the women started using drugs to help themselves recover from a break-up or separation from their significant others. For example, Linda, a 49-year-old mother, explained that drugs were what kept her sane through a divorce.
- This kind of informal social control focuses on the formation of bonds and relationships outside of drug using community that helps recovering individuals maintain a drug-free lifestyle within mainstream society.
- Some of the mothers stopped their drug use after being caught to be able to be with their children.
- The 5 W’s in recovery are Why (motivation), What (goals), When (timeline), Where (environment), and Who (support system).
- Dluzen and Liu ((2008), exploring the differences between male and female users of methamphetamine, found that while violence and excessive use were more prevalent behaviors among female than male methamphetamine users, women responded to treatment better than males.
- Instead these stages refer to the concept of starting, using, and the aftermath of being exposed as a drug user by being caught or entering treatment.
- The findings of the impact of stigma on women drug users might be compared to men who use drugs in future studies.
For many women, losing custody of their children is a significant threat and a barrier to treatment, although, for a significant proportion of participants, it is sometimes a motivation to seek help. In addition, women report social stigma as why do women face more stigma for substance addiction a barrier to treatment in personal and professional contexts 46. Women who seek treatment pointed to the limitations of gender-sensitive treatment programs that may not consider their increased domestic responsibilities.
Some of that is due to stigma, but also because women may struggle with work, child care, and other obligations, and it’s simply too much to juggle. Also, women who are pregnant or caring for their children may fear they’ll have their children taken away, so they don’t seek help. Recovery from addiction is possible for every woman and compassionate help is available for women in many areas of the country. Women who want to find specific treatment and recovery resources both locally and nationally can use thebehavioral health treatment locator mapfrom the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Although Katy was still using drugs, concealing it and acting “normal” helped her avoid the stigma that would come from being an exposed drug user.
- First, onlyarticles published in English were included based on language limitations among thestudy team.
- Layered with traditional gender roles, expectations often pressure women to be the perfect mother, daughter, or wife.
- By addressing the impact of stigma, we can begin to dismantle the barriers that prevent women from accessing the help they deserve.
- For example, Copes and his colleagues explain that “hustlers” (i.e., minor criminals) within the drug community believe that they are above “junkies” (i.e. hardcore criminals).
Social and Cultural Factors
All of the included articles contained themes related to either men or womenexperiencing heightened drug use-related stigma, though none referenced themesrelated to transgender participants’ experiences with drug use stigma. Nearlyall of these articles (34, 97%) highlighted experiences of WWUD with heightened druguse-related stigma 41–56,58–75. One article (3%), however,illustrated that there may be contexts in which MWUD experience greater druguse-related stigma (described below) 57. The overarching analytical theme for thissynthesis explored how gender serves to shape manifestations of drug use-relatedstigma.
Additionally, 15 (37%) studies adapted ameasure of mental health stigma while the remaining studies (8; 20%) either adaptedmeasures of other stigmatized characteristics (i.e., HIV or HCV), selected specificitems from existing drug use stigma measures, or developed their own items to assessdrug use-related stigma. Also, notably, across all quantitative measures, item contentreflects PWUD as a homogeneous archetype, and does not reflect the dimensions bywhich gender might shape how drug use stigma is experienced (e.g., in the context ofparenthood). The articles included within this descriptive theme illustrateexperiences of intersectional drug use stigma for WWUD within healthcare settings.These articles include accounts of drug use-related stigma from both theinterpersonal (5; 14%) 46,47,49,51,60 and individual perspectives (8; 23%)50,54.58,59,61,65,70,72. In a South African study, non-drug using individualsreported that WWUD are not viewed as a “policy or funding priority,”and that this omission from the policy and funding discussion within thehealthcare arena further results in women being an underserved population of PWUD(Myers et al., 2016 49).
The concept of “self-medication” examines coping with feelings of hopelessness and feeling different from those who seem happy in mainstream society. Specifically, idealized weight was a common reason that the women turned to methamphetamine when they felt that they were not meeting social expectations of the perfect female shape. Goffman (1963) explains how the stigma of group identity is related to the stigma of race, nation, and religion, affecting a whole group rather than an individual.
The Impact on Recovery Success
Some society expectations, such as maintaining an ideal weight, may not be achievable for these women without the help of drugs. Feeling they are bound to a standard that they are not able to achieve without “help” caused them more difficulties and hardships in the next stage of their use. People who are considered different from “normal” are stigmatized, perceived as deviant, and often marginalized. White (2002) explains stigma as the process of labeling, stereotyping, social rejection, exclusion and extrusion, as well as the internalization of community attitudes in the form of shame by person and family.
Implications for Treatment and Social Services
Recovery from substance abuse is a complex and individual journey, with each person facing unique obstacles along the way. For women, there are a number of distinct challenges that can complicate the recovery process. These challenges often stem from societal expectations, hormonal influences, and the specific roles women occupy within their families and communities. Of the quantitative articles, 22 (55%) found no association betweengender and drug use-related stigma, 4 (10%) identified women who use drugs (WWUD)were more stigmatized, and 2 (5%) determined men who use drugs (MWUD) were morestigmatized. In contrast, nearly all (34; 97%) of the qualitative articlesdemonstrated WWUD experienced greater levels of drug use-related stigma.
Research supports the efficacy of such specialized treatment options in reducing relapse rates and improving overall psychological well-being. ‘For example, almost all respondents suggested thatHDCs historically disadvantaged communities believe “these are goodwomen gone bad” For female “addicts”, these discoursesare defined against commonly-held discourses about what it means to be a“good woman.”’ (Myers, 2009, South Africa, pg. 3, 41). This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article. Understanding gender-specific triggers and protective factors can improve long-term outcomes.
Of course, for these interventions to be implemented, adequate preparation of medical personnel is necessary, especially therapists’ high cultural competence, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and authenticity (Rogers’ triad) 25. Referring to the treatment services they experienced, the women explained the different aspects that could be improved. Religion offered informal social control by providing a social group outside the drug using network, but religious belief was not for all women. The most important source of social control mentioned by the women was not treatment but instead the social environment where they lived and the social networks they had access to before, during and after using drugs. When their social environment provided positive relationships, they had enough help to stop drug use and recover over time.
Social control theory proposes that delinquency and criminal behavior are a consequence of changes in the quality and strength of social ties (Laub & Sampson, 2003). Individuals are more likely to engage in deviant behaviors, such as drug use, when their bonds to society are weak or broken. Formal social control of behavior, such as laws and bureaucratic rules, are distinguished from informal social controls. Informal social control acts through the bonding that comes with attachment to others and ties to mainstream social institutions, such as school, work, and religious affiliation. Informal social control works through “strong bonds with family, friends, work, religion, and other aspects of traditional society motivating individuals to engage in responsible behavior or acceptable social norms” (Moos, 2007). According to Goffman (1963), stigmatized individuals try to prove themselves by drawing attention to more positive aspects of their identity while attempting to conceal the aspect that is stigmatizing.