Pathways into drug user treatment: the influence of gender and racial/ethnic identity.
Drawing on constructs from models of health behavior change, this paper examines gender and racial/ethnic influences on access to residential drug user treatment. Using a focus group methodology, data were collected from a sample of 65 in-treatment White, Black, and Hispanic men and women. Hispanics were more likely to delay treatment because of a reluctance to acknowledge their addictions and discomfort at being separated from family. Females reported more negative expectations about treatment than males and more use of drugs to bolster self-esteem. Responsibility to children represented the most powerful catalyst to treatment for women. Implications for improving access to treatment for women and minorities are discussed.
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New Jersey Department of Health, Division of Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Addiction Services, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009515:New Jersey; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D012941:Social Responsibility; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*
D013287:Illicit Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs