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Racial Disparities in Substance Use Treatment Completion Among Older Adults
Zainab D Suntai1, Lewis H Lee1, James D Leeper2
1School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA.
Innovation in Aging
|December 23, 2020
Summary
Racial disparities in substance use treatment completion exist among older adults. Black older adults were less likely to complete treatment, while Hispanic older adults were more likely than Whites.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Substance Use Disorders
Background:
- Racial disparities in substance use are documented in young adults, but less so in older adults.
- Older adults generally have higher substance use treatment completion rates.
- Racial disparities in treatment completion among older adults remain under-examined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the extent of racial disparities in substance use treatment completion among adults aged 65 and older.
- To investigate racial differences in treatment completion rates within this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study using 2017 Treatment Episode Data (TEDS) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- Included 6,653 older adults (65+) from publicly funded substance use treatment programs.
- Analyzed group differences using chi-squared tests and predicted completion with binary logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Black older adults were 37% less likely to complete substance use treatment compared to White older adults (OR = 0.630).
- Hispanic older adults were 26% more likely to complete treatment than White older adults (OR = 1.26).
Conclusions:
- Racial disparities in substance use treatment completion are present across the lifespan.
- Higher completion rates for Hispanic older adults may be influenced by familismo.
- Disparities for Black older adults highlight the need to address cultural, historical, and systemic factors.
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