Priming genetic explanations for addiction weakens the relationship between biological essentialism and stigma

AbstractDrug addiction is stigmatized, and this stigma contributes to poor outcomes for individuals with addiction. Researchers have argued that providing genetic explanations of addiction will reduce stigma (Richter et al., 2019), but there has been limited research testing this. We presented participants with news articles that either provided genetic or anti-genetic explanations of addiction. Participants’ biological essentialism correlated with stigma in the context of both opioid and methamphetamine addiction. However, this relationship was attenuated when participants were presented with news articles that provided a genetic explanation for addiction. This suggests that the relationship between essentialism and stigma is malleable.