Barriers to Entry into 12-Step Mutual Help Groups among Justice-Involved Women with Alcohol Use Disorders

ABSTRACT

Although involvement in 12-Step mutual help groups (TMGs) is an accessible and effective means of addressing alcohol problems, many justice-involved women do not attend. This study examined barriers to TMG attendance for 135 justice-involved women with alcohol use disorders. TMG attenders were more likely than nonattenders to say their past contacts with people in TMGs were not helpful (χ² = 4.91, p = .027); nonattenders were more likely to report that they did not want to change (χ² = 7.58, p = .006). Findings provide guidance on how to enhance interest in and attendance at TMGs among justice-involved women returning to the community.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcohol
• barriers
• twelve step
• women
• criminal justice

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism R01 AA021732, Trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov; Clinical Trials #NCT01970293.