Level of Social Support System for Individuals with Substance Abuse: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a significant global population health concern that leads to significant physical, psychological, and social effects. People having SUDs commonly experience stigma and discrimination that is both a barrier to recovery and compliance with treatment. Despite the possibility of enhancing rehabilitation and well-being through social support, stigma is a significant source of reintegration barriers. In Bangladesh, not much research has been done on the relationship between social support and stigma in individuals with SUDs. Aim: To find out level of social support system for individuals with substance abuse. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was done, on a sample of 180 people with substance abuse in Bangladesh by using a face-to-face survey in form of questionnaire on socio-demographic survey, MSPSS scale, and the SU-SMS scale. The information was gathered among participants who are admitted in Mental health hospital and Addiction center. The SPSS version 27 was used in the statistical analysis in the context of evaluating the relationships between perceived social support and stigma and other demographic variables. Results: The study included individuals with substance abuse, with an average age of 28.24 ± 3 years. The perceived social support, most of the participants reported low levels of social support (89.4%), 10% reported medium support, and only 0.6% reported high support. Concerning stigma, high enacted stigma was 86.6 percent, high anticipated stigma was 81.67 percent and high internalized stigma was 8.4 percent. Perceived social support was significantly related to family income (p = 0.011), age at first use (p = 0.050), receipt of counselling (p = 0.001) and frequency of counselling (p = 0.005). Enacted stigma showed significant correlations with occupation (p=0.005), marital status (p=0.010), family relations (p=0.002), duration of drugs' use (p=0.003), level of support (p=0.001), counseling (p=0.028), impact on health of drugs (p=0.001), and willingness to quit drug use (p=0.001). Anticipated stigma was significantly associated with occupation p = 0.023, family relationships p = 0.037, family income p = 0.002, duration of drug use p = 0.003, level of support p = 0.001, drug impact on health p = 0.001 and willingness to quit drugs p = 0.001. Internalized stigma showed significant associations with family relationship (p=0.037); and drug duration (p=0.009), impact on health caused by the drugs (p=0.001), and willingness to quit drug (p=0.001). There was a negative relationship between perceived social support and stigma, meaning that participants with lower social support experienced higher levels of stigma. Conclusion: Stigma and limited social support remain significant challenges for individuals with substance use disorders in Bangladesh. The relationship between perceived social support and stigma highlights the need for integrated psychosocial interventions that strengthen family and community support while addressing stigma within rehabilitation services. These findings may assist policymakers and healthcare professionals in developing supportive, stigma-reducing strategies to improve recovery and social reintegration. Keywords: Substance abuse, Social support, MSPSS, Stigma, Rehabilitation, Counseling service