Understanding Opioid Loneliness and Stigma in Rural Counties

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between social factors of stigma and loneliness, in rural communities, that may differ in people with self-reported opioid use disorder (OUD) and those without self-reported OUD. The study’s purpose also includes an exploration of the relationships between knowledge and stigma. A cross-sectional descriptive study via survey methods was used. A convenience sample was recruited from Southern Indiana (IN) rural counties with zip codes that had some of the highest opioid use and reported overdoses in IN. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and mean/median difference-based statistics. The odds of having an OUD were significantly lower for persons who endorsed more self-stigmatization for illicit opioid use. Having less than a high school education was associated with a statistically significant, 8.5 times increase in the likelihood that rural participants would report having symptoms consistent with an OUD diagnosis. The present study advances the understanding of rural perceptions of and experiences with OUD and stigma-related HIV outbreaks and psychosocial factors which differentiate persons reporting OUD consistent symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• Stigma
• opioid use
• rural
• loneliness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by a research grant from the Indiana Nurses Foundation, the Foundation of the Indiana State Nurses Association.