Associations Between Religiosity, Perceived Social Support, and Stimulant Use in an Untreated Rural Sample in the U.S.A.

ABSTRACT

Background: Religiosity and perceived social support (SS) may serve as protective factors for more severe substance use in adults. Objectives: This study sought to examine whether aspects of religiosity and SS are associated with longitudinal reductions in stimulant use over three years in an untreated sample of rural drug users. Methods: Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit stimulant users (N = 710) from Arkansas, Kentucky, and Ohio. Follow-up interviews were conducted at 6-month intervals for 36 months. Results: Our bivariate findings indicate that higher religiosity was associated with lower odds and fewer days of methamphetamine and cocaine use. After controlling for covariates, higher religiosity was associated with fewer days of crack cocaine use, but more days of methamphetamine use among a small sample of users in the two final interviews. Higher SS from drug-users was also associated with higher odds and days of methamphetamine and powder cocaine use, while higher SS from nondrug users was associated with fewer days of methamphetamine use. Conclusions/Importance: Our bivariate findings suggest that higher levels of religiosity may be helpful for some rural individuals in reducing their drug use over time. However, our multivariate findings suggest a need for further exploration of the potential effects of religiosity on longer-term drug use, especially among those who continue to use methamphetamine and/or remain untreated. Our findings also highlight the potential deleterious effect of SS from drug users on the likelihood and frequency of methamphetamine and powder cocaine use over time among untreated rural drug users.

KEYWORDS:

• Stimulant use
• rural drug users
• social support
• religion

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michael A. Cucciare

Michael A. Cucciare is a core investigator at the VA Health Services Research & Development Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research and the South Central MIRECC (VISN 16) at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. His research interests include addiction focused health services research in rural and Veteran populations.

Xiaotong Han

Xiaotong Han is a biostatistician in the Department of Psychiatry at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences affiliated with the VA Health Services Research & Development Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research and the South Central MIRECC (VISN 16) at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her statistical expertise lies in generalized linear models, GEE (generalized estimating equations) and generalized linear mixed models for longitudinal data.

Geoffrey M. Curran

Geoffrey M. Curran, PhD, is an expert in implementation science and specializes in hybrid effectiveness-implementation designs and diagnostic methods to inform the development of implementation interventions, including processes to contextualize evidence based practices for adoption in diverse clinical settings. He currently directs the Center for Implementation Research in the UAMS Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine.

Brenda M. Booth

Brenda M. Booth has served as Professor of Psychiatry in the DHSR at UAMS and core investigator in Health Services Research & Development at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System for over 25 years. Dr. Booth has been continuously funded by NIAAA and NIDA. She is a biostatistician and conducts mental health and substance abuse health services research and has published widely on issues of substance use among rural populations.