Young African American Perceptions of Substance Use in Rural Eastern Arkansas Communities

• NCJ Number: 241976
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: July - September 2012 Pages: 199-213
• Author(s): Laverne Bell-Tolliver, Ph.D.; Teresa L. Kramer, Ph.D.; Christine Lynch, M.P.H.; Jeon Small, Ph.D.
• Date Published: September 2013
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 DA 015363
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined adolescents' perceptions of treatment for substance use in rural areas in Arkansas.

Abstract

This study examined barriers to substance abuse treatment through focus group interviews of African American youth in three rural, eastern Arkansas counties in the Mississippi Delta region. Participants in the study included adolescents with a current or prior history of substance use, non-substance using adolescents acquainted with other substance users, and adolescents who initiated substance use during adolescence (N = 41). Grand tour and subsequent probe questions elicited multiple themes regarding rural adolescent substance use, treatment decisions, and preferences. Adolescents' perceptions of substance use indicate that treatment or prevention programs will need to address multiple dimensions, ranging from individual to community-wide factors. Abstract published by arrangement with Taylor and Francis.