Stigma, Drug Addiction and Treatment Utilisation: PWUD Perspective

Background: People who used drugs are stigmatized in Slovenia. Discrimination may also adversely affect the health of those who use illicit drugs, through exposure of cronic stress, physical, psychological, social and spiritual harm and barrier to accessing care. The objective of this study was to provide information from drug user point of view why they don't seek help. Methods: In the period time from January to September 2007 we collected data randomly from the questionnaire in a crosssectional survey, which is part of a wider international project Correlation. It was an open interwiev. We interviewed 53 respect of their status as problematic heroin users in Ljubljana, Celje and Ig. For sampling we applied a non-probability approach, including the elements of the »snowball« method. We used statistical program SPSS for descriptive statistic (percents) to showed sociodemographic caracteristics of paticipants and reasons why drug users not seek help they need and we prooved statisticaly links between treatment history of drug users and stigma discrimination indicator with Student T test. Results: We showed socio-demographic characteristic of participants. Discrimination is among the highest rated values of reasons for not seeking help (80%). Those who have already received some medical support such as methadone treatment, psychotherapy, detoxification, feel more and the most discriminated against in 72%, 61% and 73%, but among the listed variables we found methadone treatment statistically significant conection (p=0.029). Those who have already received social benefits and had low and high threshold experience felt discriminanted against but the differences are not statistically significant. Conclusion: Results of the study suggest several problems, dissatisfaction and unsatisfied needs of drug users with health and social services and submit discrimination as the highest reason why not seeking help.

Author(s):

Tatjana Pokrajac,Dusan Nolimal and Evite Leskovsek

Abstract | Full-Text | PDF

Share this