Anticipated Stigma in Nursing: A Concept Analysis Informed by Cannabis Use Disclosure.
Daniel D King
PMID 41588830WHAT IT FOUND
Anticipated stigma is the fear of being judged if cannabis use is disclosed.
Nurses may see patients hide use during assessments, risking unsafe medication reconciliation and pain management.
Key findings
01Anticipated stigma is a future-oriented expectation of devaluation or discrimination tied to concealable stigmatised identities.
02Fear of judgement can lead to nondisclosure of cannabis use, and partial disclosure during medication reconciliation could lead to drug interactions or inadequate pain management.
03In the model case, a patient watched the nurse's reactions and disclosed minimal cannabis information.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
It is a concept analysis, not a study of patients or a trial of a nursing intervention. The suggested prompts, communication changes, and documentation policies were not tested. The search relied heavily on an AI-assisted tool and may be difficult to reproduce precisely. Most included empirical work concerns HIV, mental illness, or chronic illness, with only early cannabis evidence. Much of the evidence is cross-sectional self-report, so causal relationships and change over time cannot be concluded. The model case and implications may need adaptation to local legal and organisational environments.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not state funding or conflict declarations. Generative AI technologies supported manuscript organisation, synthesis, and language, and the author reviewed and finalised all content.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that asking patients about cannabis with a nonjudgmental prompt has been shown to improve disclosure or safety. This paper analyses the concept and suggests possible nursing approaches, but it does not test them.