# A Mixed-Methods investigation of the implications of Substance Use Disorder Stigma for Justice-Involved Youth

> **NIH NIH F31** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2021 · $42,588

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Compared to youth who are not involved with the justice system, justice-involved youth are more likely to be
diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUDs) and less likely to access or fully engage in treatment. One
potential contributor to low treatment engagement is SUD stigma. There is compelling evidence that stigma
significantly detracts from the ability to access and subsequently engage in care. Although there is little extant
research on SUD stigma, preliminary data suggests that SUDs are associated with different stereotypes
compared to other behavioral health diagnoses and may be associated with more severe stigma. Little is
known about the prevalence and potential consequences of SUD stigma among justice-involved youth or SUD
stigma within the justice system. Yet given the negative consequences of mental illness self-stigma for
treatment engagement, we postulate that youth with higher SUD self-stigma will be less likely to fully engage in
treatment. We hypothesize that juvenile justice and community mental health staff members will report greater
public stigma towards justice-involved youth with SUDs, that public stigma towards adolescents with SUDs will
vary according to substance type, and that staff will describe barriers to SUD treatment indicative of structural
stigma. In order to test these hypotheses, we will first deploy recently validated measures of SUD stigma to
examine the nature and correlates of public and self-SUD stigma among justice-involved youth, their parents,
and staff stakeholders in the juvenile justice and community mental health systems (aim 1). We will then
conduct a series of qualitative interviews as well as collect data on treatment utilization to explore the impact of
SUD stigma on youth’s ability to access and engage in treatment (aim 2). The proposed mixed-methods study
is highly innovative and represents a crucial step in combating SUD stigma among justice-involved youth. This
project includes a strong training plan and mentoring team that will help the candidate develop the skills
necessary to be an independent investigator. Ultimately, this research and training will help the candidate
launch a research career to develop interventions to decrease SUD stigma within the target population and
thereby improve engagement in SUD treatment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10313043
- **Project number:** 1F31DA054721-01
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Annalee Johnson-Kwochka
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $42,588
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10313043

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10313043, A Mixed-Methods investigation of the implications of Substance Use Disorder Stigma for Justice-Involved Youth (1F31DA054721-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10313043. Licensed CC0.

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