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Exploring African‐American womens' experiences with substance use treatment: A review of the literature
Author(s) -
Redmond Michelle L.,
Smith Sharla,
Collins Tracie C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22241
Subject(s) - african american , substance use , medicine , interpersonal communication , population , psychology , psychiatry , environmental health , social psychology , sociology , ethnology
The aim of this systematic review is to synthesize evidence on treatment barriers among African‐American women who seek treatment for substance use disorders. The authors reviewed articles from 1995 to 2018 on the topic of substance use disorders among African‐American women. Based on the review of 13 articles, we found African‐American women were more likely to encounter treatment readiness barriers compared to access barriers and system‐related barriers. Personal and interpersonal barriers were more readily identified throughout the literature reviewed. However, African‐American women did encounter other barriers such as access‐ and system‐related barriers. In addition, the intersection of race, gender, and class was not addressed in the specific articles, but should be considered when working to remove treatment barriers for this population. While prevalence of alcohol and drug use is limited among African‐American women, it is important to understand how treatment readiness barriers may limit successful completion of treatment and ongoing progress. Implications for treatment and future research in addressing barriers to treatment for African‐American women are discussed.