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Disparities in Completion of Substance Abuse Treatment between and within Racial and Ethnic Groups
Author(s) -
Guerrero Erick G.,
Marsh Jeanne C.,
Duan Lei,
Oh Christine,
Perron Brian,
Lee Benedict
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
health services research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.706
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1475-6773
pISSN - 0017-9124
DOI - 10.1111/1475-6773.12031
Subject(s) - ethnic group , criminal justice , medicine , substance abuse , odds , referral , multilevel model , family medicine , demography , psychology , logistic regression , psychiatry , criminology , machine learning , sociology , anthropology , computer science
Objective To evaluate disparities in substance abuse treatment completion between and within racial and ethnic groups in publicly funded treatment in L os A ngeles C ounty, C alifornia. Data Source The L os A ngeles C ounty P articipant R eporting S ystem with multicross‐sectional annual data (2006–2009) for adult participants ( n = 16,637) who received treatment from publicly funded programs ( n = 276) for the first time. Study Design Retrospective analyses of county discharge and admission data. Hierarchical linear regressions models were used to test the hypotheses. Data Collection Client data were collected during personal interviews at admission and discharge for most participants. Principal Findings A frican A mericans and L atinos reported lower odds of completing treatment compared with W hites. Within‐group analysis revealed significant heterogeneity within racial and ethnic groups, highlighting primary drug problem, days of drug use before admission, and homelessness as significant factors affecting treatment completion. Service factors, such as referral by the criminal justice system, enabled completion among L atinos and W hites only. Conclusions These findings have implications for reducing health disparities among members of racial and ethnic minorities by identifying individual and service factors associated with treatment adherence, particularly for first‐time clients.