CTN-0038-Ot: Barriers to Substance Abuse Treatment Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Carmen Masson, PhD
Lead Investigator
Associate Adjunct Professor, Psychiatry
University of Calfornia, San Francisco
carmen.masson@ucsf.edu
The Western States and Pacific Region Nodes of the NIDA Clinical Trials Networks are collaborating to gain a better understanding of the factors that may influence the under-utilization of substance abuse treatment services by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and the readiness of substance abuse treatment programs serving AAPIs to participate in clinical trials and adopt evidence based practices. This study will develop a research infrastructure to increase the ability of the CTN to recruit AAPIs for multi-site clinical trials, and will provide exploratory data that will serve as a foundation for innovative substance abuse treatment research on AAPIs.
Primary Findings
Barriers included peer pressure, family influences, and face loss concerns. Facilitators included peer support, involvement in the criminal justice system, a perceived need for treatment, and culturally competent substance abuse treatment services. Family and peer influences may act as both facilitators and impediments. AAPI substance using populations face many of the same individual-level and structural and systems barriers to entry to treatment as other substance using populations. However, similar to other racial/ethnic minority groups, it is important to address cultural differences and develop culturally competent substance abuse treatments for the AAPI population.
Results Article: Masson CL, Shopshire MS, Sen S, et al. Possible Barriers to Enrollment in Substance Abuse Treatment Among a Diverse Sample of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Opinions of Treatment Clients. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2013;44(3):309-315. [get article]
Related Resources
Node Involvement
Lead Node(s):
All Participating Nodes: