Do impressions of addiction change with education of human services professionals?

Abstract

Introduction: Efforts made in stigma reduction have gained attention as a means to improve human services personnel care for individuals with addiction. Educational interventions, particularly knowledge-based workshops, have shown promise in addressing misconceptions and reducing stigma. However, research on such interventions targeting human service professionals in Japan remains limited. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a knowledge-based workshop on stigma reduction among Japanese human service professionals. Methods: This preliminary single-arm pre-post comparison study recruited 30 human service professionals from various disciplines. Participants completed pre- and post-workshop surveys assessing stigma using the Feeling Thermometer and stigma-related questionnaire items. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests and effect size calculations to determine changes in attitudes. To account for small sample limitations, bootstrap resampling methods were applied. Results: The results indicated a significant reduction in stigma levels following the workshop (p < 0.05), with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. Participants demonstrated more positive attitudes toward individuals with addiction post-intervention. Bootstrap analysis confirmed the robustness of these findings despite the small sample size. Conclusions: These findings suggest that knowledge-based workshops can effectively reduce stigma toward addiction among human service professionals in Japan. Future research should include larger samples, control groups, and longitudinal assessments to further evaluate the long-term impact of such interventions.