Social identity and substance use interventions

Substance use and misuse is a growing public health concern. Creating effective strategies for reducing substance use/misuse may require an understanding of the role and impact of the individual's social identity. In this issue of the Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, we focus on the intersection of social identity, substance use, and implications for effective interventions. The six articles presented in this volume examine a variety of social identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, religion, substance-user status) across a variety of substance use problems (e.g., use of inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription drugs). Together, these articles provide insight into who may benefit most from targeted substance use interventions and further suggest the need to incorporate culturally relevant elements into intervention and treatment protocols to increase successful outcomes. Clinicians, researchers, and theorists alike can use the results presented here to continue to refine their approaches.