Substance use disorders and co-morbidities among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Wu, L-T

Blazer, DG

England

2015-12-03T17:34:17Z

2015-02

BACKGROUND: Asian Americans (AAs) and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (NHs/PIs) are the fastest growing segments of the US population. However, their population sizes are small, and thus AAs and NHs/PIs are often aggregated into a single racial/ethnic group or omitted from research and health statistics. The groups' substance use disorders (SUDs) and treatment needs have been under-recognized. METHOD: We examined recent epidemiological data on the extent of alcohol and drug use disorders and the use of treatment services by AAs and NHs/PIs. RESULTS: NHs/PIs on average were less educated and had lower levels of household income than AAs. Considered as a single group, AAs and NHs/PIs showed a low prevalence of substance use and disorders. Analyses of survey data that compared AAs and NHs/PIs revealed higher prevalences of substance use (alcohol, drugs), depression and delinquency among NHs than among AAs. Among treatment-seeking patients in mental healthcare settings, NHs/PIs had higher prevalences of DSM-IV diagnoses than AAs (alcohol/drug, mood, adjustment, childhood-onset disruptive or impulse-control disorders), although co-morbidity was common in both groups. AAs and NHs/PIs with an SUD were unlikely to use treatment, especially treatment for alcohol problems, and treatment use tended to be related to involvement with the criminal justice system. CONCLUSIONS: Although available data are limited by small sample sizes of AAs and NHs/PIs, they demonstrate the need to separate AAs and NHs/PIs in health statistics and increase research into substance use and treatment needs for these fast-growing but understudied population groups.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25066115

S0033291714001330

1469-8978

https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11005

eng

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Psychol Med

10.1017/S0033291714001330

Addiction treatment

Asian Americans

Native Hawaiians

Pacific Islanders

co-morbidity

substance use disorder

Asian Americans

Comorbidity

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Female

Hawaii

Humans

Male

Oceanic Ancestry Group

Socioeconomic Factors

Substance-Related Disorders

Substance use disorders and co-morbidities among Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders.

Journal article

Wu, L-T|0000-0002-5909-2259

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25066115

481

494

3

Center for Child and Family Policy

Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development

Clinical Science Departments

Duke

Duke Clinical Research Institute

Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

Institutes and Centers

Institutes and Provost's Academic Units

Medicine

Medicine, General Internal Medicine

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Geriatric Behavioral Health

Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Social and Community Psychiatry

Sanford School of Public Policy

School of Medicine

University Institutes and Centers

Published

45