Why the Journal of substance abuse treatment?
The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment is interested in research related to race (including racism, perceived discrimination, racial identity) and their impact on substance use and its treatment among racial/ethnic minorities. JSAT is committed to the development of a special issue related to these topics.
What are the environmental influences on treatment for substance use disorder?
Travel to treatment is one of the most fundamental environmental influences on treatment, as the majority of substance use disorder treatments occur via outpatient versus residential treatment programs [ 20 ], such that clients must travel from their homes to the treatment location.
What is the literature on entering treatment for substance misuse?
Tsogia D, Copello A, Orford J. Entering treatment for substance misuse: A review of the literature. Journal of Mental Health. 2001;10:481–499. [Google Scholar] Tucker JA, Vuchinich RE, Rippens PD.
What is the influence of peers on substance use?
The influence of peers on adolescent substance use often exists in the form of deviant peer relationships, wherein an adolescent associates with a group of people who use substances, or in the form of perceived popularity [48–53]. Research has shown that deviant peer relationships are positively associated with adolescent substance use [51, 53].
What are the factors that influence substance use?
Substance use disorders are widely recognized as one of the most pressing global public health problems, and recent research indicates that environmental factors, including access and exposure to substances of abuse, neighborhood disadvantage and disorder, and environmental barriers to treatment, influence substance use behaviors.
How does environmental justice affect substance use?
Substance use disorders are widely recognized as one of the most pressing public health problems, and recent research indicates that environmental factors influence substance use behaviors. Evidence suggests that racial and socioeconomic inequities in the environmental factors that may engender substance abuse, including access and exposure to substances of abuse, neighborhood disadvantage and disorder, and environmental barriers to treatment, contribute to observed health disparities in rates of substance use disorders and treatment outcomes. Environmental justice researchers, with substantial experience in addressing racial and ethnic inequities in environmental risk due to technological and other hazards, should consider similar inequities in risky substance use environments as an environmental justice issue. Research should aim at illustrating where, why, and how such inequities in risky substance use environments occur, the implications of such inequities for disparities in substance use disorders and treatment outcomes, and the implications for tobacco, alcohol, and drug policies and prevention and treatment programs.
What are the indicators of disordered environments?
Disordered environments are typified by indicators of a lack of social control over the environment, including graffiti, trash, noise, vandalism, and dilapidated or abandoned infrastructure , as well as the presence of violence and crime in the community.
What is concentrated disadvantage?
Concentrated disadvantage embodies the idea that such neighborhoods are not only impoverished economically but also removed from mainstream economic activity such that there are few opportunities for economic advancement, and thus residents of neighborhoods characterized by concentrated disadvantage are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty from which it is difficult to escape [ 68 ]. Notably, neighborhood disadvantage and other community level characteristics have important implications for health beyond that of the socioeconomic status of individuals and families. The additive effect of neighborhood level disadvantage on health, as a burden levied on top of individual-level poverty, has been referred to as “deprivation amplification”, i.e., the negative effect of individual-level poverty on health is amplified by also residing in an impoverished neighborhood [ 69 ].
What is environmental justice?
One of the fundamental aims of environmental justice research is to investigate if, how, and why environmental risks are distributed inequitably with regards to race and socioeconomic status. Academic research in environmental justice has expanded from its early focus on environmental risks due to exposure to technological hazards to a variety of other outcomes [ 1, 2 ], such as vulnerability to natural hazards [ 3, 4 ], accessibility to environmental amenities [ 5, 6 ], and consequential health conditions, such as asthma [ 7, 8 ]. The environmental justice framework has also been applied to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in access to health resources such as recreational opportunities and healthy food that can promote healthy behaviors, such as engaging in regular physical activity and healthy eating [ 9, 10, 11 ]. In the present paper, we build on this research to address the environmental risks associated with another important health behavior that, as yet, has been given only sparse attention by environmental justice researchers—substance use and addiction.
How does a risky environment affect substance use?
Perhaps the most basic manner in which a risky environment can be considered to affect substance use behaviors is by facilitating access to substances of abuse. Ready access to substances lowers the barriers to acquiring, using, and abusing substances, thus facilitating substance use initiation and potential abuse.
Is environmental justice a federal or state issue?
The environmental justice community has been successful in bringing environmental justice issues to bear in federal and state environmental regulations. Likewise, there are substantial regulatory and policy implications of the environmental justice of risky substance use environments.
Is substance abuse a public health concern?
Substance abuse in rural and urban areas is a major public health concern. Despite the threat that untreated substance abuse presents to individual health and well-being, as well as the health and well-being of the broader community, there remain significant barriers to substance abuse treatment (Appel, Ellison, Jansky, & Oldak, 2004; Pringle, ...
Can family support help with substance abuse?
While support from family and friends can encourage entry into treatment and sustained sobriety, it is clear that in rural communities where substance abuse may have become an unfortunate family legacy, it can present a major barrier to treatment interventions.
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About this journal
Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment is an international, peer reviewed, open access journal focusing on human substance abuse research and treatment, including medical treatment and screening, mental health services, research, and evaluation of substance abuse programs. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).