title: Racial/ethnic differences in treatment for substance use disorders among U.S. adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined differences in treatment rates for substance use disorders (SUD) among adolescents of white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight years of cross-sectional data (2001-2008) were pooled from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to derive a nationally representative sample of 144,197 adolescents (aged 12-17 years); 12,634 adolescents were identified with SUD in the previous year. Weighted probit regressions were estimated with year fixed effects to examine whether racial/ethnic minorities had lower rates of treatment in any setting, in medical settings (i.e., hospital, rehabilitation facility, mental health clinic, and/or doctor's office), and in self-help programs. Initial models controlled for demographics and health status. Additional models further adjusted for family income and health insurance status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among adolescents with SUD, unadjusted treatment rates ranged from 8.4% among blacks to 23.5% among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders. After adjusting for demographics and health status, blacks (RD = -3.9%, 95% CI = -6.4%, -1.3%) and Hispanics (RD = -2.3%, 95% CI = -4.1%, -0.4%) were significantly less likely to receive SUD treatment than whites (adjusted treatment rate 10.7%). These differences were exacerbated after adjusting for family income and insurance status. Lower treatment rates for black and Hispanic adolescents persisted when examining SUD treatment rates in medical settings and self-help programs. Treatment rates for other racial/ethnic groups did not generally differ from whites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results highlight exceptionally low treatment rates for SUD among all adolescents, with blacks and Hispanics experiencing the lowest treatment rates across all racial/ethnic groups.
authors: Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Room 650, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. jrcummi@emory.edu
authors: Janet R
authors: JR
authors: Cummings
authors: Hefei
authors: H
authors: Wen
authors: Benjamin G
authors: BG
authors: Druss
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs