Desire for help among drug-using Mexican-American arrestees

In a sample of 88 drug-using Mexican-American arrestees, we examined demographic factors, drug-problem severity indicators, and personal and social resources as correlates of self-reported desire for help with problems related to drug use. Ethnicity-related attitudes, perceptions, and experiences were among the factors tested. Among 35 potential correlates in this dataset, recognition of drug-related interpersonal problems was the sole significant correlate of desire for help in a multivariate regression analysis. This finding was interpreted in comparison to previously identified correlates of Mexican-American drug users' desire for help specifically in the form of drug user treatment. We derive implications regarding drug-use-associated problem recognition and other potential determinants of help-seeking and success in drug user treatment among Mexican-American drug users.