Sociocultural and psychological factors in American Indian drug use: implications for treatment

Use of alcohol and other drugs has been acknowledged as a serious problem among American Indian populations. This study was designed to 1) compare female and male American Indian substance users in residential treatment on psychological (self-esteem, depression, attributional style) and sociocultural (demographics, personal drug use history, family history, acculturation) variables, and 2) examine relationships of the psychological and sociocultural variables with program completion. Results showed that females experienced more family dysfunction (family members misuse of substances, and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) than males. Both females and males showed positive change on the psychological measures from treatment entry to treatment completion. The factors predicting dropout before program completion were divorce, use of cocaine and depressants, and living in foster care as a child. Implications for prevention, intervention, and training of treatment service providers are discussed.