Integrating behavioural immunity into substance-use disorder growth-related research: Insights from a qualitative approach
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) have occupied the attention of scholars and practitioners for years and continue to do so, especially as the issues that pervade the literature are not only multiple but growing in complexity. However, one of the issues that requires mediating survival and growth as part of the proactive and reactive responses is behavioural immunity (BI), but it has not been explored beyond its traditional research context. In this research, we used a qualitative approach to explore the concept within the context of treatment for SUDs and related behaviour dynamics. We targeted people receiving treatment for SUDs, and mental health workers providing the treatments in three rehabilitation facilities in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, Central Nigeria. The data was analysed using QSR NVivo 20, based on the thematic analysis technique. Key findings emerged, suggesting that BI is part of the dynamics of certain avoidance behaviours and SUD-related depreciation and growth outcomes, leading to four pointers: growth pointers, depreciation pointers, depreciation-related growth, and growth-related depreciation. The findings contribute to the knowledge base of pathogen avoidance psychology by extending BI research to the SUDs and trauma-related avoidance paradigm.
Keywords: behavioural immunity, post-traumatic growth, post-traumatic depreciation, pathogen avoidance, substance use disorder.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Retji James Dakas, Grace M. Kibanja, Paul Bangirana
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