Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41084012›Full record

ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2025

Navigating stigma: a qualitative study of barriers to opioid treatment engagement in Tanzania.

Abigail Admase, Erin E Cooney, Kaitlyn Atkins, Peter J Winch, Jessie K Mbwambo, Iddi Haruna Nkya, Haneefa T Saleem

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In one paragraph

Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Abigail AdmaseZanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. aadmase1@alumni.jh.edu.
Erin E CooneySocial and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Kaitlyn AtkinsSocial and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Peter J WinchSocial and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jessie K MbwamboDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Iddi Haruna NkyaDepartment of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Haneefa T SaleemSocial and Behavioral Interventions Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Funding

Understanding the role of social networks in methadone maintenance treatment retention and antiretroviral therapy adherence among people who inject drugs in TanzaniaK01DA047142 · NIDA · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI SALEEM, HANEEFA TASLEEM · 2019 to 2023
$968k
NIDA NIH HHS K01 DA047142NIDA NIH HHS K01DA047142
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStigma related to drug use is a well-documented barrier to engaging and remaining on medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), yet little is known about how stigma operates across multiple social and institutional settings in low-resource contexts.

methodsThis qualitative study draws on 40 in-depth interviews with current and former MOUD clients and four focus groups with 35 current clients at an opioid treatment clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Transcripts were thematically analyzed to explore how stigma influenced MOUD adherence and retention.

resultsFive themes emerged: stigma encountered while using public transportation; employment-related stigma; lack of family support due to misinformation; institutional stigma within the treatment setting; and stigma management strategies, including altering appearance and distancing from peers. Gendered expectations intensified stigma for women, while assumptions of untrustworthiness shaped client interactions across settings. These experiences posed significant barriers to consistent treatment engagement.

conclusionsTo support MOUD retention, programs should integrate stigma reduction through expanded family engagement, more flexible clinic policies, and client-informed approaches. Public education efforts are also critical to addressing widespread misconceptions about MOUD and people who use drugs.

Indexed as

Medication AdherenceOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersSocial StigmaAdultFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchTanzaniaHealthcare engagementMedications for opioid use disorderQualitative researchStigmaTanzania

Identifiers

PMID41084012
PMCPMC12519769

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.