NCJ Number
171816
Journal
Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 33 Issue: 6 Dated: (1998) Pages: 1387-1406
Date Published
1998
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Data from 88 drug-using Mexican-American arrestees were used to examine demographic factors, indicators of the severity of drug problems, and personal and social resources as correlates of self-reported desire for help with problems related to drug use.
Abstract
The factors tested included ethnicity-related attitudes, perceptions, and experiences. Thirty-eight percent of the participants reported wanting help for their problems associated with drug use. Results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that the recognition of drug-related interpersonal problems was the only significant correlate of desire for help among the 35 potential correlates in the data set. This finding was interpreted in comparison to previously identified correlates of the desire for drug treatment among Mexican-American drug users. Findings suggested that outreach might be more effective among Mexican-American drug users if their right to treatment, not just their need for it, is emphasized. In addition, counseling protocols might be more effective if a special effort is made to boost drug users' perceptions of their ability to benefit from treatment in the modalities commonly delivered by mainstream providers and to stabilize these perceptions when they are initially strong. Moreover, outreach and counseling may prove more effective if drug users are encouraged to express concerns they may have regarding possible discrimination and alienation during treatment; these concerns typically go unaddressed. Tables, author photograph and biography, and 41 references (Author abstract modified)