Estigma internalizado e suporte social entre dependentes de crack em situação de vulnerabilidade social

Abstract

In Brazil, there is now a concern in studying crack dependents, since the use of this substance brought greater complexity to the planning of coping strategies for consumption. Substance dependence is a highly stigmatized condition, having internalized stigma as the main effect, which occurs when the individual becomes aware of the negative stereotypes associated with his condition and applies them to himself. Social support has been described as an important tool for fighting stigma and repairing social ties. Thus, the aims of this study were: (1) to review the literature regarding the relationship between internalized stigma and social support, (2) to evaluate the relationship between internalized stigma and social support among crack dependents in social vulnerability . For the first aim, 13 studies were analyzed whose results indicated a negative association between internalized stigma and social support, with social support as acoping strategy to stigma. Regarding the second aim, 114 crack dependentes were interviewed, using the instruments: Sociodemographic Questionnaire, MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Brazilian version of ISMI scale adapted for Substance Dependent and Social Support for People Living with HIV/AIDS adapted for substance dependence. Ninety-five percent of participants were male with a mean age of 36.5 years (SD=8.2) , 70% were unemployed , 58.2% studied up to elementary school , and 85% reported not living with a partner. About 74 % were homeless. The associations between internalized stigma and social support were examined by correlation analysis. The analysis showed that the correlation between the support and social stigma internalized was not statistically significant. However, when evaluating this relationship from the sources of support reported by the participants, we found that having support from health professionals and family members do not seem to be enough to reduce internalized stigma. The results highlight the importance of studies that deepen the understanding of social relations of crack dependents, so that coping strategies for internalized stigma can be developed according to their needs.