Formal and informal substance use treatment utilization amongst Asian Americans

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Asian Americans (AA) exhibit lower utilization of formal substance use disorder (SUD) treatment compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
• This study investigates whether informal treatment utilization offsets lower formal treatment seeking among AA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine differences in formal and informal substance use treatment utilization across racial/ethnic groups, with a focus on Asian Americans.
• To determine if informal substance use treatment compensates for lower formal treatment engagement in Asian Americans.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of pooled data from the 2015-2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for adults aged 18 and older.
• Multivariate logistic regression examined race/ethnicity (Asian, White, Black, Hispanic) and treatment utilization for alcohol/substance use or AUD/SUD.
• Treatment was categorized as formal (e.g., clinics, hospitals) or informal (e.g., self-help groups, family support).

Main Results:

• Asian Americans with alcohol use disorder/substance use disorder (AUD/SUD) were significantly less likely to use formal treatment compared to White individuals (aOR = 0.28).
• No significant differences in informal treatment utilization were found between Asian Americans and other racial/ethnic groups.
• Asian Americans with AUD/SUD showed significantly lower utilization of combined (formal and informal) treatment services compared to White individuals (aOR = 0.31).

Conclusions:

• Informal substance use treatment services do not appear to compensate for the lower engagement in formal treatment among Asian Americans.
• Further research is necessary to understand and address the low rates of substance use treatment utilization in the Asian American population.