Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25539621›Full record

ArticleBMC psychiatry2014

How is acceptance of the brain disease model of addiction related to Australians' attitudes towards addicted individuals and treatments for addiction?

Carla Meurk, Adrian Carter, Brad Partridge, Jayne Lucke, Wayne Hall

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychiatry, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.4field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Knowledge and Attitudes About Crystal Methamphetamine Among Key Community Groups in Australia.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025
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  17. Addiction, Identity, Morality.AJOB empirical bioethics
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Carla MeurkThe University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Site, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia. c.meurk@uq.edu.au.
Adrian CarterThe University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Site, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia. adrian.carter@uq.edu.au.
Brad PartridgeThe University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Site, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia. b.partridge@uq.edu.au.
Jayne LuckeThe University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Site, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia. j.lucke@uq.edu.au.
Wayne HallThe University of Queensland, UQ Centre for Clinical Research, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Site, Herston, Queensland, 4029, Australia. w.hall@uq.edu.au.
University of Queensland · AURoyal Brisbane and Women's Hospital · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe investigated whether beliefs about addiction being a 'disease' or 'brain disease', and holding certain beliefs about addiction aetiology, are associated with public views about addicted persons and support for different types of treatment, coerced treatment and punishment for addiction.

methodsData were collected as part of the 2012 Queensland Social Survey, a computer assisted telephone interview of 1263 residents of Queensland, Australia. Participants were presented with scenarios of two addicted males, one who was addicted to heroin and the other addicted to alcohol. Participants were then asked a series of questions for both characters.

resultsThere was widespread support for all treatment modalities (alcohol: 80.8-98.0%, heroin: 89.9-97.2%). There was less support for coerced treatment for alcohol than heroin addiction (alcohol: 41%, heroin: 71%, χ(2) = 273.90, p < 0.001). Being 35 years of age or older (alcohol: OR = 0.58 (0.37-0.91), heroin: OR = 0.49 (0.28-0.85)) and having 15 or more years of education (alcohol: OR = 0.60 (0.44-0.81), heroin: 0.55 (0.40-0.75)) predicted less support for coerced treatment. 31.7% of respondents agreed heroin use should be punished by imprisonment and being 35 years of age or older (OR = 0.51 (0.33-0.80)) predicted lack of support. The sample agreed that an alcohol or heroin dependent person would suffer career damage (alcohol: 96.2%, heroin: 98.9%), marriage breakdown (alcohol: 92.2%, heroin: 97.3%) and get in trouble with the law (alcohol: 92.3%, heroin: 98.9%). Respondents expressed more comfort with encountering alcohol rather than heroin addicted persons in the workplace or at a dinner party. Beliefs that addiction was a 'brain disease' or a 'disease' did not predict any of these attitudes. Beliefs about addiction aetiology were inconsistent predictors of outcomes measured.

conclusionsAge and educational attainment were the most consistent predictors of stigmatising beliefs and beliefs about coercion and punishment. Beliefs that addiction is a 'disease' or a 'brain disease' were not associated with an overall reduction in beliefs about stigma, coercion or punishment. Beliefs in different causes of addiction were not consistent predictors of beliefs about stigma, coercion or punishment.

Indexed as

Attitude to HealthPublic OpinionAdolescentAdultAgedAge DistributionAge FactorsAlcoholismBrain DiseasesCoercionEducational StatusFemaleHeroin DependenceHumansMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID25539621
PMCPMC4297372
OpenAlexW2127148085

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.