Measuring the Influence of Curricular Content and Personal Stories on Substance Use Stigma.

Background: Understanding of the lived experience is an important educational strategy for improving attitudes toward stigmatized patient groups. This study evaluated the influence of a personal story intervention on nursing students' attitudes toward people who use opioids and measured attitudinal change from students' regular mental health and addictions curriculum.

Method: This study used a single-group longitudinal design. Stigma outcomes were measured using the Opening Minds Provider Attitudes Toward Opioid Use Scale. Mean scores were analyzed for four time periods: control, social contact intervention, curricular component, and 3-month follow-up. Qualitative feedback also was collected.

Results: Stigma scores improved significantly from pre- to postsocial contact intervention. No differences were observed for curricular content, control period, or follow-up. Qualitative findings suggest the personal story was associated with positive student-reported attitudes.

Conclusion: Integrating personal story interventions with traditional curriculum elements is a promising educational approach for improving perceptions and behaviors of nursing students toward people who use drugs. .