Stigma toward individuals with cannabis use disorder across age groups: associations with familiarity and sociodemographic characteristics

BACKGROUND: Stigma experienced by individuals with cannabis use disorder (CUD) has been identified as a significant impediment to their engagement with treatment programs. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of sociodemographic factors and familiarity with cannabis on stigmatizing attributions towards adolescent and adult case vignettes of people affected by CUD. METHOD: A quota sampling web survey in Germany conducted by a professional survey institute including two case vignettes of people with a CUD, applying a 2 × 2 × 2 (age of vignette* age of participant*familiarity with cannabis/CUD) within-subject design. Sociodemographic information, questions about participants' cannabis use experience, a measure of stigmatizing attitudes, and a short version of the attribution questionnaire. RESULTS: A total sample of n = 1603 (50.1% female) participants was recruited, with n = 501 being adolescent participants. Subjective social standing of the whole sample was slightly elevated (Mean social rank (SD) = 5.74 (1.8)). The adolescent case with a CUD was more stigmatized compared to an adult case (F(1, 3196) = 12.77; p < 0.001). Individuals who were more familiar with cannabis use (F(1,3196) = 19.65; p < 0.001) and/or CUD (F(1,3196) = 6.00; p =0 .014) reported fewer stigmatizing attributions. This effect of familiarity was more pronounced for adolescents compared to adults. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with CUD seem to receive less stigma compared to adolescents with CUD, while stigmatizing attributions are produced less often when people have more contact with cannabis use and CUD. Future studies should aim to systematically test the influence of different characteristics of stigmatizing persons on stigma production in order to offer tailored interventions.