Internalized Stigma as a Mediator Between Network Characteristics and Prison Substance Use Treatment Program Completion

• In Event: New Research on Prisons

Abstract

The Social Organization Strategy (SOS) framework (Pescosolido, 1992) states that decision-making is socially constructed through interactions with others. Therefore, the people in one’s network will influence their completion of substance use programming, and even perspectives on recovery and how (and whether) they view substance use disorder (SUD) as a moral/criminal issue or a legitimized medical condition. This study uses cross-sectional social network and survey data collected as part of the Geographic variation in Addiction Treatment Experiences (GATE) study. GATE study participants (N = 383) were recruited from 10 prisons that offer naltrexone (3 prisons also offer buprenorphine) to clinically eligible individuals who complete the prison-based SUD treatment program (SAP). A logistic regression analysis will be completed to determine whether a participant’s social network factors are associated with SAP completion at baseline, and a mediation analysis will be included to determine whether a participant’s internalized stigma mediates the relationship. Results of this analysis will highlight the impact of social network characteristics on a person’s internalized stigma towards SUD and completion of SAP during incarceration, which may inform opportunities for increased SUD education among people involved with the criminal legal system and their social networks.

Author

• Marisa Booty, University of Kentucky