Perceived Need for Substance Abuse Treatment Among White, Hispanic, and Black Juvenile Arrestees

• NCJ Number: 205783
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: 2003 Pages: 1-17
• Author(s): Vera A. Lopez Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): DA09286
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the perceived need for substance abuse treatment among a sample of White, Hispanic, and Black drug-abusing male juvenile arrestees.

Abstract

A 1996 NIJ report indicated that 81 percent of juveniles in detention in the United States either tested positive or reported recent illicit drug use while 48 percent reported being under the influence of drugs when they were arrested. Similar studies have demonstrated that juvenile delinquency and drug use go hand in hand. Despite the high numbers of juvenile drug using arrestees of all racial and ethnic groups, only 36 percent of U.S. juvenile correctional facilities provide some type of substance abuse treatment. Research suggest that racial and ethnic differences do exist with regard to substance abuse treatment utilization. This study examined the racial/ethnic patterns in perceived need for treatment and its predictors and was based on self-reporting from male Hispanic, Black, and White juvenile arrestees in 12 sites across the United States between 1992 and 1996. Arrestees were asked to report which drugs they have used, whether they were drug-dependent, whether they received treatment, and other related topics. The sampled arrestee population consisted of 9,618 males between 12-18 years of age, of which 31 percent were Hispanic, 46 percent were Black, and 23 percent were White. Research results culminated in a finding that admission of drug dependency among arrestees and their past treatment experiences were associated with a perceived need for treatment irrespective of racial or ethnic group membership. While racial and ethnic differences with regard to perceived need for treatment do exist, those who admit dependency and/or have prior treatment experience are more likely to perceive that they need treatment than those who do not. These findings apply to each of the three racial/ethnic groups. It was found that significant differences exist between Whites and the other two groups with respect to self-reported dependency and past treatment utilization. Research efforts should continue to address validity issues of self-report data for Black and Hispanic juvenile arrestees. 3 references, 4 data tables