Examining Perceived Alcoholism Stigma Effect on Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Treatment and Quality of Life Among Alcoholics

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine racial-ethnic differences in perceived stigmatization of former alcoholics and their effect on associations of race-ethnicity with treatment history and psychological function among lifetime alcoholics. METHOD: Logistic regression analyses were conducted using data from Waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults 18 years or older. RESULTS: Stigma scores were lowest for Whites and Native Americans, higher for Blacks, and highest for Asians and Hispanics, both in the total population and among lifetime alcoholics. Neither race-ethnicity nor stigma was associated with treatment utilization. Psychological function was negatively associated with stigma, but the impact of stigma on racial-ethnic differences in psychological function fell short of statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Stigma may reduce quality of life among those with alcohol dependence, but there is no clear evidence that it affects racial-ethnic differences in quality of life.