Increasing Treatment UtilizationAlthough the literature on evidence-based treatments of substance use disorders suggests its efficacy, it is contingent on the fact that the patient choose to access those services. Unfortunately, a large percentage of those with substance use disorder do not utilize any intervention (e.g., McCabe, Cranford, & West, 2008). For instance, only 15% of those who met lifetime criteria for alcohol use disorder reported having ever received or accessed any treatment (Cohen, Feinn, Arias, & Kranzler, 2007).
The overarching goal for this program of research is to increase utilization of substance use disorder treatment. In line with this goal, we are interested in understanding the drivers and barriers of treatment utilization. Although we investigate distal factors associated with treatment utilization such as problem severity, socioeconomic and personality factors, and attitudes, we are particularly interested in how individuals make decisions on when they should access treatment and what factors would make them inclined to access services. |
Cultural Factors in Treatment Utilization
Cultural factors seem to influence treatment utilization. For instance, only 4% of Asian American adults sought mental health services in 2008 compared to 16% among Caucasian Americans (SAMHSA, 2008). Among Filipinos, culture specific factors such as loss of face (hiya), stigma, shame, and lay conceptualization of mental illness are associated with willingness to seek mental health services (Tuliao, 2014; Tuliao, Velasquez, Bello, & Pinson, 2016), but can be alleviated by using non-face-to-face interventions such as a chat-based format (Hechanova, Tuliao, & Ang, 2011).
There is a need therefore to understand the cultural factors associated with utilization of substance use disorder treatments. Future plans for this line of research include a mixed quantitative and qualitative examination of help-seeking behaviors among different racial and ethnic groups in the U.S, as well as in different countries. Utilization of a mixed methodology helps account for both emic and etic mechanisms underlying the help-seeking behavior. |