Barriers to substance abuse treatment: Perceptions of a non-treatment seeking sample

Even for people highly motivated to change substance abuse behavior, obstacles still exist that prevent successful access to treatment. Most studies identifying barriers to treatment have examined opiate users in urban settings (i.e., Appel, Ellison, Jansky & Oldak, 2004; Riley, Safaeian, Strathdee, Beilenson, & Vlahov, 2002). Determining the barriers to treatment in rural states such as Montana and how they differ from those exemplified in urban settings is important for shortening the gap between a person's introduction to substance abuse and entrance into treatment. The first objective of this study is to identify what barriers to treatment exist in a sample of jail inmates charged with a drug-related crime in Montana. The investigators will also examine how these barriers are associated with other variables such as motivation for treatment, age, education, and length of substance use history. Approximately fifty recently incarcerated inmates will be surveyed using the Barriers Questionnaire (Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions, 1995) to determine the reasons for not seeking treatment. Items on this questionnaire will be grouped into factors and analyses will be done to determine which barriers apply to specific groups. Results from this study have implications for the development of interventions that could bridge the gap between active-user and treatment-seeker. By tipping the scales in the direction of treatment-seekers, communities will conserve resources currently being allocated to medically and psychologically treat this population, decrease the spread of infectious disease, and reduce societal costs related to criminal activity.