Perceived Barriers to Treatment in a Community-Based Sample of Illicit-Drug-Using African American Men and Women

Abstract

This study examines perceived substance use treatment barriers in a community-based sample of 267 African Americans from Baltimore, MD. Both men and women endorsed “they can handle it alone” as a primary reason they were not currently in treatment. However, men were two times more likely (AOR = 2.29 CI = 1.05, 5.02) to endorse “concerns about losing family” as the reason they are not currently in treatment. The present study yields interesting findings among African Americans, which should be considered when creating interventions for particular groups of African Americans.

Keywords:

• adults
• African American
• gender
• substance use
• treatment