Access to drug and alcohol treatment among a cohort of street-involved youth

作者：Hadland Scott E; Kerr Thomas; Li Kathy; Montaner Julio S; Wood Evan^*

来源：Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009, 101(1-2): 1-7.

DOI：10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.10.012

• Youth
• Street youth
• Adolescents
• Access
• Addiction services
• Methadone maintenance
• Drug treatment
• Alcohol treatment
• Detoxification
• Aboriginal

Background: A number of options for treatment are available to Young drug users, but little is known about the youth who actually attempt to access such services. Here we identify characteristics of a cohort of street-involved youth and highlight commonly encountered barriers.
Methods: From September 2005 to July 2007, data were collected from the At-Risk Youth Study (ARYS), a prospective cohort of 529 drug users aged 14-26 living in Vancouver, Canada. Participants who attempted to access any addiction services in the 6 months prior to enrollment were compared in univariate analyses and multiple logistic regression modeling of socio-demographic and drug-related factors.
Results: Factors positively associated with attempting to access services included Aboriginal ethnicity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.66 [1.05-2.62]), high school education (AOR = 1.66 [1.09-2.55]), mental illness (AOR = 2.25 [1.50-3.38]), non-injection crack use (AOR = 2.93 [1.76-4.89]), and spending >$50 on drugs per clay (AOR 2.13 [1.41-3.22]). Among those who experienced difficulty-accessing services, the most commonly identified barrier was excessively long waiting lists. In a Subgroup analysis comparing those who tried to access services but were unsuccessful to those who were successful, risk factors positively-associated with failure included drug bingeing(odds ratio [OR] = 2.86 [1.22-6.76]) and homelessness (OR = 3.86 [1.11-13.4]).
Conclusions: in light of accumulating evidence that drug use among street youth is associated with risky health-related behaviors, improving access to treatment and other addiction services should remain an important Public health priority.

• 出版日期2009-4-1