iSchool Professor Margaret Sullivan and graduate student Jonah Hancock researched how society understands the opioid crisis through their study of internalized stigma. Sullivan, who is in the sober community, started the study to explore the stigma cycle that prevents individuals from accessing vital health information. Hancock was motivated after losing friends to addiction, aiming to produce research that ensures fewer people will be affected by addiction. Their journal article, “The effect of self-stigma on the health information seeking and health behaviors of opioid users”, focuses on the devastating impact of internalized stigma among users in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. Margaret initiated the study in Kensington after a friend in the infectious disease prevention field identified a research gap in their field, presenting a valuable opportunity to provide impactful and helpful work for that population.  

“For me, the kind of stigma cycle that prevents people from getting health information about addiction is very similar to the kind of shame and stigma I would feel,” Sullivan said. The journal reviewers’ study directly connects internalized stigma to overdose vulnerability through the lens of information behavior. The primary goal of the study was to provide evidence toward the idea that shame leads to dangerous health outcomes. By utilizing ratio-level data and surveys, they showed how stigma and shame directly increase the likelihood of overdose. Sullivan and Hancock further highlighted that internalized stigma increases reckless substance use and often causes users to avoid medical care due to fear of judgment.

“Some said they had abscesses and just dealt with it on their own because they didn’t want to seek healthcare providers,” Hancock said. 

The researchers didn’t stay behind the desk to do their research; Sullivan walked the streets of Kensington to survey over 100 people actively using drugs. This fieldwork revealed a consistent pattern of people being abandoned by social safety nets. They found that the most effective way to gather data was simply to treat people with basic human dignity, a huge difference from how they are typically treated by society. 

The future of this research involves training healthcare providers to be more aware of individuals who are having these experiences and expanding educational elements across different counties. Ultimately, the study is encouraging a cultural shift in how we speak to and treat those struggling with addiction.  

“Our work is about building compassion for this population. We’re not trying to figure out how to regulate them, moderate them, or control them,” Sullivan said.  

Sullivan and Hancock’s impactful research brings vital awareness by proving that building compassion is essential to helping others. 

To dive deeper into their research, click here.