MURAL - Maynooth University Research Archive Library



    The Other Ireland: Visualizing Intersectional Stigma Experiences of People Who Use Drugs Using Photovoice


    Miller, Nicole, Baffo, Raychelle, Clarke, Lucy Louise, Los, Greg and O'Hara, Andy (2026) The Other Ireland: Visualizing Intersectional Stigma Experiences of People Who Use Drugs Using Photovoice. Contemporary Drug Problems. pp. 1-25. ISSN 0091-4509

    Abstract

    Stigma towards People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) is reinforced through social structures and intersectional identities (e.g., gender, race, class). This often manifests as PWUD being The Other in society. This study aimed to explore how stigma manifests within the community environment using Community-Based Participatory Research framework and photovoice. Peer advocates (n = 15) from various Irish community-based organizations were trained in the photovoice technique to capture experiences of stigma. A series of seven focus group interviews were conducted. Photographs were analyzed using visual analysis, and interview data were analyzed using deductive codebook Thematic Analysis informed by Intersectional Stigma frameworks. The findings identified three major themes that demonstrate the multiple pathways through which social structures are used to reinforce stigma across intersectional identities possessed by PWUD. Peers experienced class-based discrimination in the accommodation sector, and urban hostile architecture reinforced internalized stigma for those who were unhoused. Being unhoused and unemployed was perceived to justify social rejection, public aggression, and violence towards PWUD. Peers described being unfairly targeted by police based on living in economically deprived neighborhoods. Structural stigma was evident in strict rules for entry into mental health clinics and was reinforced based on class and limited income. False complaints to family and social services appeared to justify police surveillance and invasion of privacy of woman identified peers. Stigma campaigns should account for the nuances and additive effects of intersectional identity, with an emphasis on gender and class of PWUD. Health professionals providing mental health services would benefit from reflexivity to explore how their position of power relates to the therapeutic process.
    Item Type: Article
    Keywords: intersectional stigma; drug use; photovoice; community-based participatory research; peer-led research;
    Academic Unit: Faculty of Science & Engineering > Psychology
    Item ID: 21993
    Identification Number: 10.1177/00914509261440952
    Depositing User: IR Editor
    Date Deposited: 16 Oct 2026 15:14
    Journal or Publication Title: Contemporary Drug Problems
    Publisher: SAGE Publications
    Refereed: Yes
    Related URLs:
    Use Licence: This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

    Downloads

    Downloads per month over past year

    Origin of downloads

    Altmetric Badge

    Repository Staff Only (login required)

    Item control page
    Item control page