You re Not OK : Smokers Experiences of Stigmatisation

Transcription

1 You re Not OK : Smokers Experiences of Stigmatisation Sign on Brandon Street, Wellington CBD. Janet Hoek, Laura Tatton, Ninya Maubach, Kirsten Robertson

2 Overview 2025 strategies to reduce prevalence include: Making tobacco less visible, attractive, and affordable Framing smoking as less acceptable BUT Could smoking denormalisation have unintended negative effects on smokers? Reduce their self-efficacy and decrease chances they will quit successfully?

3 Stigma Comprises four elements: Labelling individuals as different, Linking differences to negative stereotypes, Separating us from them, Ascribing a reduced status to those who carry the disadvantaged trait (Burris, 2008) Those stigmatised experience a spoiled identity, loss of status, and personal shame (Goffman, 1963)

4 Two perspectives on stigma For Appropriate to stigmatise and denormalise unhealthy behaviours Creates a culture that promotes healthy behaviours Against Marginalises those already on social peripheries Denormalisation may encourage secrecy among smokers, reduce access to social support and chances of becoming smokefree Repeated failure may reduce self-efficacy and entrench smoking behaviour

5 Research Aims and Methods Examine non-smokers perceptions of smoking and smokers experience of smoking in increasingly denormalised world Method Two focus groups with 11 non-smokers 15 in-depth interviews with smokers Explored participants understanding and experiences of smoking How they interpreted and responded to smokers and non-smokers

6 Findings: Non-Smokers Disgust and Condemnation Saw non-smoking as normal Those who deviated from this were labelled abnormal And identified as being inferior Especially if they inflicted smoking on others: I don t have a problem with someone smoking, like if they want to sit in their own little capsule and smoke and inhale all the smoke they want, like that s fine but to actively damage a child that you re with, is just tantamount to manslaughter really, because you are just damaging a child...it s disgusting.

7 Findings: Non-Smokers Reinforcing the Normal : Smokers as Socially Inferior Paired smokers with dirty connotations and psychological problems: The people who I know who smoke, tend to have some quite serious underlying issues that they re using it to deal with (F, 20). Little or no empathy with smokers, regarded them as belonging to a lower class of people: It s not classy (laughs), I don t know. It just looks gross. Like they kind of just look run down a bit. Even if they re dressed up nice I think that they re sad (F, 23).

8 Findings: Non-Smokers The Wise and Empathic Minority A minority recognised smokers may lack agency because they were addicted: In a lot of ways you know, you can t discriminate against smokers cause it is an addiction (M, 22). Saw smokers choices as constrained by factors that did not apply to everyone: Like there are so many factors influencing it. Like class, and gender and things, like it s not really some people s choice, as much as we d like to think otherwise... (F, 21).

9 Findings: Smokers Accommodating Disgust Acutely aware of smoking s negative connotations Dealt with this by: Defining themselves as social smokers: I d probably just say [I smoke] sometimes So that they don t think I m like, a big dirty smoker (laughs) (F, 21). Smoking in acceptable contexts (e.g. drinking): I m more conscious of like, being seen doing it, and, you know, it s a little bit embarrassing almost. Um, in daylight anything in night time just seems to be a lot more comfortable and a lot more accepted. It almost maybe seems like it s less invasive to non-smokers if it s at night time (F, 20).

10 Findings: Smokers Asserting Humanity Smokers felt treated as inferior: All the negative connotations, all the negative aspects of certain types of people, certain groups usually bad people of some kind,...you know, they start to fit the profile, you know (F, 23) Unjustly treated at a societal level Smokers are treated like lepers, like we re shunned out into the cold, and nobody, um, really wants to, to deal with us (M, 22) Smoking should not compromise their humanity: Being a smoker does not mean, make me any less of a human than you are kind of thing (F, 22).

11 Findings: Smokers Irritated by non-smokers condescension Like, it s almost like they ve just elevated themselves to a position where they can tell you what to do saying things like I think you should not be smoking right now (F, 23) Led some to use smoking as an overt act of defiance: If people tell you not to smoke, you d just go and have a cigarette and Cause it s being belligerent and it s like stuff you, basically (F, 19).

12 Implications for 2025 Non-smokers strongly disapproved of smokers and saw them as lesser people Revealed each of the four stages of stigma Smokers self-conscious about their spoiled identity BUT Redefined their behaviour Limited smoking to acceptable contexts Some rebelled against unwanted judgments Challenged environments they thought relegated their status Grouping together to maintain a collective identity

13 Implications for 2025 Could tap into minority understanding of addiction Elicit support for smokers making quit attempts Examine alternative denormalising strategies: Smoking (behaviour) Smokers (individuals) Tobacco industry (vector) Aim to: Promote greater empathy with smokers Recognise the power of addiction Avoid stigmatising smokers to the extent of social exclusion Foster more appealing smokefree identities

14 For further information, please contact: Janet Hoek Department of Marketing University of Otago, Dunedin Phone (03) Visit