title: Ethnic and Gender Differences in Help Seeking for Substance Disorders Among Black Americans.
abstract: This paper uses the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to examine within group differences regarding help-seeking for substance disorders among a US sample of African American and Caribbean Black men and women. We examined ethnic and gender differences in the type of providers sought for substance disorder treatment, as well as reasons for avoiding treatment. Results indicate that overall, few ethnic differences exist; however, African Americans are more likely than Caribbean Blacks to seek help from human service professionals (including a religious or spiritual advisor) and from informal sources of treatment such as self-help groups. Black men with a substance disorder were more likely to see a psychiatrist than Black women. Findings regarding reasons for avoiding treatment suggest that there may be a need to provide better education about the utility of substance disorder treatment, even before problems reach a high level of severity.
authors.affiliation: University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, 1010 N. Kansas, Wichita, KS, 67214, USA. mredmond@kumc.edu.
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Redmond
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Daphne C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Clifford L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Broman
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Abelson
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Harold W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Neighbors
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People; D017691:Caribbean Region; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology*; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry; D065834:Religious Personnel; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: African American; Barriers; Caribbean black; Health disparities; Help-seeking; Substance use