NCJ Number
231369
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: April-June 2010 Pages: 89-105
Date Published
April 2010
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A comparative analysis was conducted of a in-treatment population and a drug out-of-treatment community of peers who shared common social networks and lived in a pro-drug use community norm.
Abstract
Free-at-Last is a drug treatment program in East Palo Alto, California, a low-income predominantly African-American community in Silicon Valley. In this research, a cohort of treatment clients was compared to a random sample of community residents. Both groups used drugs. Two-way analysis of variance was used to identify factors that predicted the number of drugs used, controlling for client or community sample status. Significant predictors turned out to be perception of race discrimination, ever selling drugs, contact with the police, the number of relatives who died suddenly as a juvenile, ever having thoughts of suicide, and marital status. Path analysis was used to show the relationship between predictors of the number of drugs used for treatment clients; a second path was done for community clients. By comparing each path analysis, the authors were able to show how treatment clients arrived at significantly higher drug use than peers in the community. Tables, figures, and references (Published Abstract)