An inverse relationship between perceived social support and substance use frequency in socially stigmatized populations

INTRODUCTION: Social isolation and alcohol and substance use disorders (ASUD) have been identified as global health risks. Social support is protective against developing ASUD and is associated with beneficial addiction treatment outcomes. Socially stigmatized populations are at higher risk of both social isolation and ASUD, and the link between social support and substance use in these populations has been less researched than in general substance-using populations. We hypothesized that perceived social support, as measured by the Social Provisions Scale (SPS), would have an inverse relationship with frequency of substance use, from subsections of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) that estimate use over the past 30 days and over an individual's lifetime. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, we conducted secondary correlational analyses with pre-existing data to test our hypothesis in two separate samples made up of socially marginalized populations entering ASUD treatment programs. Sample 1: substance-using male prison inmates (n = 72, average age = 30.79) and Sample 2: primary methamphetamine-using men who have sex with men (n = 86, average age = 43.41). RESULTS: Significant negative correlations were found between SPS and lifetime use of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis (r(s) − 0.27, −0.39, −0.26; p-values 0.04, 0.001, 0.04, respectively) in Sample 1 and 30-day use of methamphetamine (r(s) − 0.28; p-value 0.008) in Sample 2. DISCUSSION: Differences in results between the samples (lifetime vs 30-day use) may reflect psychosocial and contextual differences impacting perceived social support. Our findings provide support for an important link between perceived social support and frequency of substance use in socially stigmatized populations.