Addressing stigma for families affected by opioid use disorder

Abstract

Pregnant and parenting people with opioid use disorder commonly experience stigma, or the enactment of negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes, during their pregnancy and at delivery. We will describe four different domains of stigma: self, interpersonal, structural, and policy, and discuss how they intersect to amplify the experiences of shame, anxiety, isolation, lack of trust for birthing people and parents that can contribute to the avoidance of prenatal care and substance use treatment which can impact pregnancy and infant health outcomes. We will review a case example where stigma contributed to poor care, review preferred person-first language to use when talking to and about families impacted by opioid use disorder, and describe emerging interventions to address and mitigate the effects of stigma in the perinatal setting.

Keywords: Medications for opioid use disorder; Opioid use disorder; Perinatal opioid use; Stigma.