Community Perceptions of Comprehensive Harm Reduction Programs and Stigma Towards People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Virginia

Baker, Logan S; Smith, Walter H.; Gulley, Tauna; Tomann, Margaret M

doi:10.1007/s10900-019-00732-8

Cited by 50 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Many of the faith leaders in this study saw drug use as a moral failing and believed that NEPs increased drug use and/or attract drug users to the neighborhood, which is in alignment with decades of research that suggest that public opinions of PWID tend to be extremely polarized and negative 56,57 . Similar to a study that assessed community perceptions of harm reduction programs in rural West Virginia, study participants considered drug use a major problem in their community but had little to no knowledge of NEPs and displayed levels of stigma toward PWID 58 . The majority of rural faith leaders believed that NEPs would encourage intravenous drug use, which hindered NEP support 15,57,59,60 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…56,57 Similar to a study that assessed community perceptions of harm reduction programs in rural West Virginia, study participants considered drug use a major problem in their community but had little to no knowledge of NEPs and displayed levels of stigma toward PWID. 58 The majority of rural faith leaders believed that NEPs would encourage intravenous drug use, which hindered NEP support. 15,57,59,60 Researchers have found that these specific community's perceptions of PWID are a determining factor of whether a NEP is instituted within a community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Faith leaders’ perceptions of needle exchange programs in the rural Illinois Delta Region: Religion as a social determinant of health

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and Objectives: Despite increasing drug use in rural communities, potentially life-saving harm reduction interventions, such as needle exchange programs (NEPs), remain underutilized. Religion is an integral component of the rural culture that has been shown to influence health, yet no studies to date have explored rural faith leaders' perceptions of harm reduction strategies.Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among rural faith leaders (n = 133) in the rural Illinois Delta Region.Results: While most of the respondents felt that drug abuse was an issue in their communities, support was mixed regarding whether they were in favor of NEPs with the majority of respondents having never heard of an NEP before this survey. While the majority believed that NEPs would help decrease bloodborne disease transmission, it was also perceived that NEPs would increase drug use. Significant differences in perceptions based on race, marital status, and political party also exist. Conclusion and ScientificSignificance: Congruent with previous harm reduction literature, many rural faith leaders have varied perceptions of NEPs. Rural faith leaders could benefit from education about NEPs, including the possible positive and negative impacts they can have on the community. Future studies should explore contextual differences among rural faith leaders. To date, no studies have examined faith-based organizations' perceptions of NEPs. The findings have the potential to increase the current body of knowledge and provide data to support recommendations for engaging faith-based organizations in behavioral health service delivery.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faith leaders’ perceptions of needle exchange programs in the rural Illinois Delta Region: Religion as a social determinant of health

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Stigma is an important barrier to services in rural Appalachia: PWID living in this region report that anticipated stigma is a reason to avoid attending SSPs or obtaining and carrying clean syringes [ 10 , 20 , 26 ]. Public stigma against PWID and related local opposition to harm reduction hampered access to drug-related services in the region, including preventing new SSPs from opening or closure of existing ones [ 21 , 24 , 25 , 29 – 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors that influence enrollment in syringe services programs in rural areas: a qualitative study among program clients in Appalachian Kentucky

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Enrolling sufficient number of people who inject drugs (PWID) into syringe services programs (SSP) is important to curtail outbreaks of drug-related harms. Still, little is known about barriers and facilitators to SSP enrollment in rural areas with no history of such programs. This study’s purpose was to develop a grounded theory of the role of the risk environment and individual characteristics of PWID in shaping SSP enrollment in rural Kentucky. Methods We conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews with 41 clients of 5 SSPs that were established in rural counties in Appalachian Kentucky in 2017–2018. Interviews covered PWID needs, the process of becoming aware of SSPs, and barriers and facilitators to SSP enrollment. Applying constructivist grounded theory methods and guided by the Intersectional Risk Environment Framework (IREF), we applied open, axial and selective coding to develop the grounded theory. Results Stigma, a feature of IREF’s meso-level social domain, is the main factor hampering SSP enrollment. PWID hesitated to visit SSPs because of internalized stigma and because of anticipated stigma from police, friends, family and healthcare providers. Fear of stigma was often mitigated or amplified by a constellation of meso-level environmental factors related to healthcare (e.g., SSPs) and social (PWID networks) domains and by PWID’s individual characteristics. SSPs mitigated stigma as a barrier to enrollment by providing low threshold services in a friendly atmosphere, and by offering their clients program IDs to protect them from paraphernalia charges. SSP clients spread positive information about the program within PWID networks and helped their hesitant peers to enroll by accompanying them to SSPs. Individual characteristics, including child custody, employment or high social status, made certain PWID more susceptible to drug-related stigma and hence more likely to delay SSP enrollment. Conclusions Features of the social and healthcare environments operating at the meso-level, as well as PWID’s individual characteristics, appear to enhance or mitigate the effect of stigma as a barrier to SSP enrollment. SSPs opening in locations with high stigma against PWID need to ensure low threshold and friendly services, protect their clients from police and mobilize PWID networks to promote enrollment.

show abstract

“…Research examining community and local coalitions' perspectives and recommendations for the facilitation of SEPs has been conducted nationally and internationally (Baker et al, 2019;Davis et al, 2018;Downing et al, 2005;Haas et al, 2019;Treloar & Fraser, 2007); however, limited research is available examining community perceptions that directly inform policy in a location where SEPs have been newly introduced.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Perceptions of Harm Reduction and Its Implications for Syringe Exchange Policy

Sharp

Barnett

Vroom

2020

Journal of Drug Issues

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the United States, the rising prevalence of opioid addiction has led to an increase in opioid-related overdose deaths and transmission of infectious disease. This resulted in the declaration of a national public health emergency and the need for harm reduction strategies such as syringe exchange. Florida has seen increases in blood-borne diseases and fatal/nonfatal opioid overdoses, yet harm reduction policy integration has been historically limited. To inform policy change, this study explores the perspectives of community members in Manatee County, Florida, on harm reduction services. Six focus groups were conducted with findings centralized around three emergent themes related to the implementation of a syringe exchange program: (a) awareness and acceptability; (b) facilitating factors; and (c) perceived barriers. The results of this qualitative research helped to inform the successful adoption of a local syringe exchange ordinance. Recommendations for community education and engagement regarding harm reduction policy are discussed.

show abstract

Community Perceptions of Comprehensive Harm Reduction Programs and Stigma Towards People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Virginia

Cited by 50 publications

References 21 publications

Faith leaders’ perceptions of needle exchange programs in the rural Illinois Delta Region: Religion as a social determinant of health

Faith leaders’ perceptions of needle exchange programs in the rural Illinois Delta Region: Religion as a social determinant of health

Factors that influence enrollment in syringe services programs in rural areas: a qualitative study among program clients in Appalachian Kentucky

Community Perceptions of Harm Reduction and Its Implications for Syringe Exchange Policy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About