RESUMO
Health professionals are in a strategic position to help people with substance use disorders (SUDs) who seek health services for support or treatment. However, it is known that professionals' attitudes towards people who use alcohol and other drugs are marked by stigmatizing attitudes that create barriers to access quality treatment and make it difficult for the user to adhere to it. From this, the present study aimed to investigate the attitudes of 264 health professionals from specialised services and primary health care (PHC) in the Southeast region of Brazil, through Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers (OMS-HC), taking into account the hypothesis of contact with the subject as a predictor of more positive attitudes. For this, a Multiple Hierarchical Regression was carried out to ascertain the contribution of the variables used in the explanatory model of attitudes. In addition, the measure of social desirability (SD), assessed by Brazilian Portuguese adaptation of Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, was used as a control variable in the regression model to obtain a more robust and accurate model regarding the presence of biased responses, pervasive in studies on attitudes. In general, our findings showed that contact/familiarity with substance use, either through direct contact with users or through the respondent's own use, predicted more positive attitudes, with specialised service professionals expressing more positive attitudes than those working in PHC. Blaming the user for his/her condition presented itself as a predictor of more negative attitudes. Studies like this are of paramount importance for understanding the relationship established between professionals and service users and, therefore, for tailoring interventions and programs that aim to reduce stigmatizing attitudes and provide better access to health for people with SUDs. The importance of using the SD measure as a control variable in Regression is also emphasised, as an effective way to overcome to a common limitation in studies of attitudes.
Assuntos
Desejabilidade Social , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias , Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Brasil , Feminino , Pessoal de Saúde , Humanos , Masculino , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/terapiaRESUMO
This article aimed to understand, from the framework of community psychology, the care network for drug users from professionals' experiences, and implications of a community level work. Six semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 42 professionals from care networks of four Brazilian cities in the state of Minas Gerais. Data was analyzed through thematic content analysis. Results indicate the need of enhancing network's operational structure and, mainly, consolidating a comprehensive and continuous care model. Professionals' critical views of the care network lift a series of contributions to improve it, with the necessity of embracing a community level work and a resources-focus approach to drug abuse. Related to this, there is the necessity to focus care on community and its needs, by understanding it as the main element of care networks for drug users.
Este artículo tuvo como objetivo comprender, desde la psicología comunitaria, la red de atención a los usuarios de drogas desde experiencias de profesionales, y las implicaciones de un trabajo a nivel comunitario. Se realizaron seis grupos focales semi-estructurados con 42 profesionales de las redes de atención a los usuarios de drogas de cuatro ciudades brasileñas en Minas Gerais. Los datos fueran analizados mediante análisis de contenido temático. Los resultados indicaron la necesidad de fortalecer la estructura operativa de la red y de consolidar un modelo de atención integral y continua. Opiniones críticas de los profesionales de la red de atención levantan una serie de contribuciones para mejorarla, lo que requiere de un trabajo a nivel de la comunidad y un enfoque centrado en los recursos. Existe la necesidad de centralizar la atención en la comunidad y sus necesidades, entendiendo como el principal elemento de las redes de atención a los usuarios de drogas.