NCJ Number
216032
Journal
Drugs: Education, Prevention and Police Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 367-382
Date Published
August 2006
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Through interviews with service providers, this study examined the ways in which barriers and incentives to drug treatment and treatment philosophies were perceived and represented by these service providers.
Abstract
Service provider participants focused on the individual as the sole cause of drug problems in society and saw individual, personal, and psychological factors as the main barriers to treatment. Service providers described societal perceptions of drug use, drug users, and drug treatment as highly intolerant and hostile, and indicated that the community expected abstinence as an outcome of treatment. These societal influences were regarded as having negative effects on treatment outcomes. Service providers identified differing treatment philosophies and their related treatment goals as at the core of many barriers to treatment, impacting service providers’ referrals and networking. Of all the people who use illicit drugs, it is thought that only a small proportion engage in treatment services. However, few studies have directly investigated factors that discourage or facilitate treatment access or retention or have considered these factors at all levels, from the individual to the social. Utilizing data obtained from interviews with 34 service providers, this study sought to present service providers’ perspectives on barriers and incentives to treatment for opiate and stimulant users and provide recommendations for use at policy and program levels. Table, references