# Transitions Clinic Network:  Post Incarceration Addiction Treatment, Healthcare, and Social Support (TCN PATHS) study

> **NIH NIH UG1** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $118,668

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Self-stigma is one of many barriers that affect engagement and retention in OUD treatment and
may be driving the high risk of overdose following release from correctional facilities. Identifying
factors that moderates and modify post-release opioid related overdose mortality risk can create
opportunities for novel interventions and programs. Studies conducted among individuals with a
substance use disorder (SUD) have identified fear of enacted stigma, as well as self-stigma, as
predisposing factors that hinder treatment entry and engagement. How self-stigma impacts the
engagement in OUD treatment following release from jail has not been studied. Less is known on
whether a patient-centered primary care model can ameliorate self-stigma and whether this, in
turn, enhances improved OUD treatment engagement and retention. This study contributes to a
new generation of drug abuse health services research emerging in our group that addresses the
effects of self-stigma on the effectiveness and patient-centeredness of a new primary care-based
approach to improving the health of justice-involved individuals with OUD. The overall research
objective of this supplement to parent grant (1UG1DA050072) is to examine the effects of self-
stigma on the OUD treatment cascade among individuals just released from jail and assess if the
TCN intervention is associated with self-stigma reductions during post release treatment
period. We aim to: (1) Identify which sociodemographic characteristics and psychosocial, health,
and treatment factors are associated with self-stigma. (2) Determine whether self-stigma
moderates the association between TCN participation and engagement in OUD treatment
following release. Results will provide preliminary data for a subsequent R34 testing an
intervention to ameliorate self-stigma and its impact on treatment outcomes. The professional
development plan will facilitate attainment of the applicant’s independent research career
focused on testing intervention modalities accessible in primary care to reduce self-stigma and
enhance pursuing valued life goals in this vulnerable population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10163016
- **Project number:** 3UG1DA050072-02S1
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Emily Ai-hua Wang
- **Activity code:** UG1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $118,668
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-07-15 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10163016

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10163016, Transitions Clinic Network:  Post Incarceration Addiction Treatment, Healthcare, and Social Support (TCN PATHS) study (3UG1DA050072-02S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10163016. Licensed CC0.

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