Situating Stigma

An Ethnographic Exploration of How Stigma Arises in Interactions at Different Stages of People’s Drug Use Journeys

Bibliographic Data

ID15488442
AuthorsFiona Long (0000-0003-3166-8401, Cardiff University, corresponding author), Kirsty Stuart Jepsen (Cardiff University)
Year2023
Volume20
Issue19
Pages6894-6894
Publication date2023-10-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph20196894
PMID37835164
OpenAlexW4387454341
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited23

The association between stigma and drug use has been widely researched. However, to fully understand the nuances of stigma, as experienced by people who use drugs (PWUD), it is argued that we must look at the situations within which stigma is encountered. To obtain an 'up close' look at situated stigma, data are drawn from two ethnographic studies-one set in a homeless hostel in the South of England and the other at a substance use service in South Wales. This article explores how PWUD experience and negotiate stigma at different stages of their drug use. We identify three notable themes across these settings. Firstly, 'othering' occurs in two distinct ways, by othering the past self or distancing from other PWUDs. Secondly, 'drug exceptionalism' is used to justify an individual's drug use and express frustration at the associations between legality, social harm, and stigma. Finally, in 'negotiating identities', individuals present alternate identity roles to either demonstrate clashes in identity or to promote a conventionally positive sense of self. This article contributes to the existing literature on stigma, firstly, by comparing the stigma management strategies of those in active drug use and recovery and, secondly, by using this to highlight the importance of ethnography and situated stigma within this field

Ethnography · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV · Psychiatry · Social stigma · Sociology · Stigma (botany · Substance use · Anthropology · Community Health and Development · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes · Virology

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Open DOIOpen Access