A latent class analysis of external barriers to drug treatment in China

Drug treatment services of varying types have been scaled up in China over the past decade. Yet, barriers to treatment remain among the population of drug users in China. In this paper, we use a person-centered approach to examine external barriers to drug treatment among a sample of Chinese drug users. Specifically, we used a latent class analysis to determine a typology of external barriers to treatment among a sample of 262 drug users. The results of the analyses suggest three-classes of drug users with respect to their perceptions of external barriers to treatment--Major Barriers, Low Barriers, and Systems-level Barriers--indicating that drug users are a heterogeneous population on this matter. Age and types of drugs used were predictors of class membership. In this regard, different tactics must be utilized in order to successfully reach this wide ranging group of individuals.