The Unique Experience of Intersectional Stigma and Racism for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Who Inject Drugs, and Its Effect on Healthcare and Harm Reduction Service Access

TL;DR

This study examines how racism and stigma affect healthcare access for Indigenous Australians who use drugs, emphasizing the need for culturally safe services.

Contribution

The study highlights intersectional stigma and racism as barriers to healthcare access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who inject drugs.

Findings

Participants faced stigma and racism that reduced their access to quality healthcare.

Social and mental health challenges made it difficult for participants to seek help.

Injecting drug use led to disconnection from culture and community.

Abstract

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who inject drugs face persistent health inequities, highlighting the need for programs that meet the needs of these groups. This study explored how intersectional stigma and discrimination affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s access to quality healthcare. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants aged ≥18 years who had injected drugs within the past 12 months were recruited from two regional needle and syringe programs (NSPs) and a major city NSP in Queensland, Australia. Participants completed a structured survey and yarned with an Aboriginal researcher and non-Indigenous research assistant about their healthcare experiences. Through a process of reflexive and thematic analysis, three major qualitative themes emerged: participants’ social circumstances and mental health challenges made help-seeking difficult and complex; enacted stigma and racism diminished access to health services and the quality of care received; and injecting drug use was associated with disconnection from culture and community. Privileging the expertise and voices of those with lived/living experience is essential for the creation of culturally safe, inclusive, and destigmatising healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who inject drugs.