The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

4097.0: Tuesday, November 18, 2003 - Board 2

Abstract #66965

Adolescent access to treatment for the misuse of substances

Erin L. Winstanley, MA, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St., 8th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-728-3156, ewinstan@jhsph.edu

Objectives: The majority of adolescents who are misusing licit and illicit substances do not receive any treatment. Furthermore, there is a scant amount of empirical research on adolescent barriers to receiving treatment. The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors associated with adolescent receipt of treatment for the misuse of licit and illicit substances utilizing a nationally representative sample of adolescents. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) 2000. The sample consists of all adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 years of age who may need treatment for the misuse of substances (n=902). Results: Preliminary analysis suggest that the following factors are positively associated with receiving treatment: being male, having Medicaid insurance, having used crack in the past 12 months, not being enrolled in school, ever having been in jail or a detention center and ever having been in foster care. Conclusions: The results suggest that youth who are receiving treatment for the misuse of substances are progressed in terms of the their drug use and involvement with the social service system. Identification of adolescent barriers to substance misuse treatment may inform our delivery system of opportunities to expand treatment enrollment among adolescents and provide an empirical platform on which to tailor policies aimed at improving access.

Learning Objectives:

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Adolescents: Risk of Substance Abuse Poster Session

The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA