Publications by authors named "T Caruana"
Introduction: The negative attitudes people hold towards those who use alcohol or other drugs (AOD) can also affect the people who work with this community, leading to lowered productivity and wellbeing. The impact of this stigma by association in the AOD and harm reduction sector is particularly significant because workers may have lived experience of AOD use and identify strongly with their client group. This study aimed to examine how stigma by association among health workers in the AOD/harm reduction sector relates to workplace outcomes.
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- A study tested the effectiveness of an online video intervention aimed at reducing stigma towards people who inject drugs, revealing that individuals' underlying social values influence how well they respond to such interventions.
- Participants were divided into groups based on conservatism, and the results showed that those with moderate values experienced the most significant reduction in stigmatising attitudes after the intervention.
- The findings suggest that interventions should consider the audience's social values and highlight the need for further research on how to engage those with more conservative beliefs to promote better understanding and support for anti-stigma initiatives.
Introduction: Research into stigma and injecting drug use has typically involved predominantly male participants, with limited research about the unique experience of women who inject drugs.
Methods: This study used survey methods to assess reduced access to health care due to stigma among a sample of women who inject drugs. Women (n = 232) completed a survey as part of a broader national study of people who inject drugs.
Introduction: In honouring the legacy of Jude Byrne's life-long advocacy for women and mothers who use drugs, this paper presents a case study of a group of women about whom we know little about and hear even less from: women who inject drugs in relatively affluent suburbs.
Methods: Based on a 2020 qualitative study of people who inject drugs in an affluent area of Sydney known as 'The Beaches', we use in-depth interview data to thematically explore the lived experiences of gendered stigma among women who inject drugs.
Results: Even when women occupy the 'ideal' social position in terms of class (middle-class) and race (White) they remain subject to harmful forms of gendered stigma related to injecting drug use.
Background: Early intervention alcohol and drug (AOD) programs for disadvantaged young people have the potential to substantially decrease the need for future intervention, however there is little research about how young people use these programs or the substance use and other outcomes of such programs. This paper uses data from an Australian AOD early intervention program, The Street Universities, to: describe young people's participation; examine changes in substance use and wellbeing over 90 days; and assess which young people are most positively impacted.
Methods: Data come from a prospective study of new attendees, measuring retention in and attendance patterns in an 'engagement' program focussed on arts and lifestyle activities (n = 95), and a routine service dataset collected from seven years of therapeutic intervention (n = 3,893), measuring substance dependence (SDS), psychological distress (K10) and quality of life (EQoL).