Identifying Stigma Reduction Targets in the Context of an Appalachian HIV Outbreak

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Robin A. Pollini, West Virginia University

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
Stigma R21 codebook FINAL ICPSR.pdf application/pdf 7.4 MB 10/28/2025 08:46:AM
Stigma R21 dataset AIM 2 FINAL ICPSR.xlsx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet 50.3 KB 10/28/2025 08:48:AM
Stigma survey FINAL ICPSR.docx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document 76.1 KB 11/11/2025 07:26:AM

Project Citation: 

Pollini, Robin A. Identifying Stigma Reduction Targets in the Context of an Appalachian HIV Outbreak. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-11-11. https://doi.org/10.3886/E240104V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary This study will examine how drug-related stigma influences the utilization of HIV prevention and testing programs among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the context of ongoing HIV outbreaks in Appalachia. The opioid crisis has contributed to high levels of injection drug use in rural communities, leaving them highly vulnerable to HIV outbreaks. Scaling up evidence-based HIV prevention and testing programs is critical for averting these outbreaks but even where these programs exist, often they are not used by PWID. Drug-related stigma may pose a substantial barrier to engaging in these services, especially in rural communities where anonymity and confidentiality are difficult to maintain. However, there is limited research on how drug-related stigma and its individual constructs (e.g., enactedstigma, anticipated stigma, internalized stigma) affect program uptake among PWID. Our study will used a sequential mixed methods approach to fill these knowledge gaps by (1) exploring the ways in which stigma influences the utilization of HIV prevention and testing programs among rural PWID, (2) adapting and validating an existing stigma scale, the Substance Use Stigma Mechanisms Scale (SU-SMS), for rural PWID, and (3) characterizing the types and sources of stigma that serve as barriers to HIV prevention and testing program participation in this population.
Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources National Institutes of Health (1R21DA054899)

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms Stigma; drugs
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage West Virginia
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 8/1/2022 – 7/31/2025
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes This dataset contains data related to the development and validation of the new Drug Use Stigma Scale (DUSS) (Aim 2 in the project summary).


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Published Versions

V1 [2025-11-11]

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DDI 2.5

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