The Role of Genetic Explanations of Substance Use Disorders in Shaping Stigma in the General Public
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 2Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 3Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 4Amsterdam Cardiovasculair Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract
Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are among the most highly stigmatized mental health conditions, with stigma acting as a key barrier to treatment engagement and recovery. SUDs are especially stigmatized as they are more likely to be viewed as voluntary conditions, compared to other mental health illnesses. As genetic research increasingly illuminates the biological underpinnings of addiction, it is important to know whether this understanding reduces or reinforces stigma in the general public.
Summary: We conducted a review to identify studies examining the relationship between genetic explanations of SUDs and stigmatizing attitudes. Across both correlational and experimental studies, genetic attributions consistently reduced personal blame toward individuals with SUDs. This finding is consistent with attribution theory, which states that individuals will be blamed less if their condition is viewed as outside their control. Effects on other dimensions of stigma, including perceptions of dangerousness, fear, and desire for social distance, were inconsistent across studies. Studies were limited by the use of deterministic, binary genetic framings that do not accurately reflect the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors underlying addiction risk.
Key Messages: Genetic attributions consistently reduced personal blame toward individuals with SUDs, while associations with other stigma-related attitudes were less clear. Within the disease-model framework, reduced blame is interpreted as a reduction in stigma-related attitudes, although frameworks emphasizing individual agency may interpret this finding differently. Future research should adopt scientifically accurate gene-environment frameworks and reevaluate the effect on stigma, attend to the needs of individuals with lived experience of addiction, and examine how changes in interpersonal stigma interact with structural stigma. Careful communication of genetic findings is essential to avoid reinforcing essentialist views of addiction.
Related
- Exploring the Pleiotropic Genetic Architecture of Substance Use Disorders: Findings From Phenome-Wide Association Studies.
- Identification of pleiotropic genes and biological mechanisms underlying the shared genetic component between asthma, neuropsychiatric disorders, and substance use behaviors
- Editorial: Rethinking addiction: technological advances, mechanistic insights, and the re-evaluation of substance use disorders
- An epigenetic candidate–gene association study of parental styles in suicide attempters with substance use disorders
- Mobile genetic elements drive a plasmid fusion and deletion lifecycle shaping evolution and antimicrobial resistance
BibTeX
@article{thijssen2026role,
title = {{The Role of Genetic Explanations of Substance Use Disorders in Shaping Stigma in the General Public}},
author = {Anaïs B. Thijssen and Rada R. Veeneman and Anil P.S. Ori and Karin J.H. Verweij},
journal = {European Addiction Research},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1159/ear/acrag007},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1159/ear/acrag007},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Role of Genetic Explanations of Substance Use Disorders in Shaping Stigma in the General Public
AU - Anaïs B. Thijssen
AU - Rada R. Veeneman
AU - Anil P.S. Ori
AU - Karin J.H. Verweij
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - European Addiction Research
DO - 10.1159/ear/acrag007
UR - https://doi.org/10.1159/ear/acrag007
AB - Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are among the most highly stigmatized mental health conditions, with stigma acting as a key barrier to treatment engagement and recovery. SUDs are especially stigmatized as they are more likely to be viewed as voluntary conditions, compared to other mental health illnesses. As genetic research increasingly illuminates the biological underpinnings of addiction, it is important to know whether this understanding reduces or reinforces stigma in the general public. Summary: We conducted a review to identify studies examining the relationship between genetic explanations of SUDs and stigmatizing attitudes. Across both correlational and experimental studies, genetic attributions consistently reduced personal blame toward individuals with SUDs. This finding is consistent with attribution theory, which states that individuals will be blamed less if their condition is viewed as outside their control. Effects on other dimensions of stigma, including perceptions of dangerousness, fear, and desire for social distance, were inconsistent across studies. Studies were limited by the use of deterministic, binary genetic framings that do not accurately reflect the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors underlying addiction risk. Key Messages: Genetic attributions consistently reduced personal blame toward individuals with SUDs, while associations with other stigma-related attitudes were less clear. Within the disease-model framework, reduced blame is interpreted as a reduction in stigma-related attitudes, although frameworks emphasizing individual agency may interpret this finding differently. Future research should adopt scientifically accurate gene-environment frameworks and reevaluate the effect on stigma, attend to the needs of individuals with lived experience of addiction, and examine how changes in interpersonal stigma interact with structural stigma. Careful communication of genetic findings is essential to avoid reinforcing essentialist views of addiction.
SN - 1022-6877
SN - 1421-9891
ER -