Stigma and Health, Vol 10(2), May 2025, 164-175; doi:10.1037/sah0000593
Globally, there is a devastating rise in substance addiction. The stigma encountered by people with addiction remains a critical barrier to treatment-seeking and recovery. To reduce stigma and highlight the scientific evidence undergirding the etiology of addiction, media campaigns are often designed to shift beliefs to improve public attitudes and encourage treatment-seeking. However, the beliefs that stem from these messages may have hidden costs that impact efforts. Here, we investigated if beliefs about the changeable nature of addiction—a growth mindset—are related to stigma in opposing ways through the interconnected cognitions of attributions and essentialist thinking. In Study 1 (N = 294) and Study 2 (N = 283), we demonstrated the costs of a growth mindset for stigma via the negative link to genetic explanations and the positive link to blame. Results were mixed for links to essentialism and the potential benefits of a growth mindset for treatment-seeking. We conclude with practical applications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)