CTn-0033-Ot-2: Methamphetamine Use and Treatment in Native American Communities in the Southwest

November 29, 2021 /

Alyssa Forcehimes, PhD
Michael Bogenschutz, MD
Lead Investigators
Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Addictions (CASAA)
University of New Mexico
aforcehimes@comcast.net
mbogenschutz@salud.unm.edu

Exploratory and pilot studies will be conducted to develop collaborations with tribes and Native American treatment programs in the Southwest and to explore the epidemiology of methamphetamine use and co-occurring problems and disorders in diverse Native American communities in the Southwest.

For access to a set of Tool Kit files related to this project, visit http://casaa.unm.edu/ctn/ctn%20mod%20tool%20kit/ (this is a web directory, not a web site; click on the <dir> links to progress down to actual files available for download).

Primary Findings

Each focus group offered a unique perspective about the effect of drugs and alcohol on each respective community. Though data from the phone surveys and ASIs suggested concerning rates of methamphetamine use, with women more adversely affected by substance use in general, alcohol was identified as the biggest substance use problem for AI populations in the Southwest. There appears to be agreement that methamphetamine use is a significant problem in these communities, but that alcohol is much more prevalent and problematic. There was less agreement about what should be done to prevent and treat methamphetamine use. Future research should attend to regional and tribal differences due to variability in drug use patterns, and should focus on identifying and improving dissemination of effective substance use interventions.

Results Article: Forcehimes AA, Venner KL, Bogenschutz MP,et al. American Indian Methamphetamine and Other Drug User in the Southwestern United States. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 2011;17(4):366-76. [get article]