Factors influencing stigma among healthcare professionals towards people who use illicit drugs in Japan: A quantitative study

Abstract Aim Stigma among healthcare professionals toward people who use drugs (PWUDs) must be addressed for recovery. However, research on this topic is limited in Japan, therefore we developed a brand‐new scale through coproduction with PWUDs to measure stigma and conducted a survey using the developed scale to examine what influences stigma towards PWUDs in Japanese healthcare settings. Methods Based on interviews with PWUDs and their families, we developed a survey containing 24 questions on stigma toward PWUDs. The survey was sent to healthcare professionals working in the public sector. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to determine the factor construct. Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) analyses with each factor of the stigma questions set as a dependent variable were conducted to discover the specific contribution of each variable to professionals' stigma. Results The six factors suggested by the EFA showed a good fit, as confirmed by the CFA of the stigma questions. GLMM discovered that “currently providing treatment services to PWUDs,” “having PWUDs close to themselves,” and “experiencing violence by the client when providing treatment services” were significantly associated with higher stigma scale scores. “Experience in receiving support,” “attending self‐help groups,” and “using peer‐based recovery support with PWUDs” were significantly associated with lower stigma scale scores. Conclusion The scale coproduced with local PWUDs can be a reliable tool to measure the stigma PWUDs face in Japan. Further results indicate that interaction with recovered PWUDs should be promoted.