title: Social functioning and internalized stigma in individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder.
abstract: The aim of this descriptive study was to determine social functioning and internalized stigma in individuals with substance use disorder. The study sample consisted of 105 patients diagnosed with substance use disorder according to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria. A Descriptive Information Form, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI) and Social Functioning Scale (SFS) were used for data collection. Average total SFS score of the patients was 103.25±25.09 points, indicating an intermediate level of social functioning. Average total ISMI score of patients was 2.92±0.48 points, reflecting a high level of internalized stigma. A negative significant association was observed between the internalized stigma levels and social functioning of patients. These results suggest that rehabilitation of substance users should include counseling services in order to reduce internal perception of stigma and improve their social functioning.
authors.affiliation: University of Atatürk, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Erzurum, Turkey. Electronic address: drganime@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ganime
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Can
authors.affiliation: Gaziantep University, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Gaziantep, Turkey. Electronic address: deryalper@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tanrıverdi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult