What's in a label? The effects of substance types and labels on treatment considerations and stigma.
Visitors (N = 579) to a science center read selected scenarios and evaluated the most likely outcome for a hypothetical substance abuser. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of six scenario conditions: a person with one of three different substance abuse problems (alcohol, tobacco, or cocaine) was crossed with two labels reflecting high or low substance dependence. Results indicated that: (1) cigarettes were viewed as a less serious substance abuse problem than were alcohol or cocaine (a person who smoked cigarettes was rated as more likely to recover from his problem, self-change was regarded as more appropriate and less stigma was associated with smoking than with the other two drugs); (2) non-abstinent recoveries of all types were greeted with skepticism; and (3) recovery was rated as more likely to occur from treatment than from self-change.
Cunningham
J A
JA
Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Sobell
L C
LC
Chow
V M
VM
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003042:Cocaine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D012940:Social Problems / Q000523:psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013695:Temperance / Q000523:psychology
D003042:Cocaine