Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Background and Purpose: Only limited research is available documenting gender differences within racial/ethnic groups on the impact of substance abuse treatment. The research on racial/ethnic differences shows that compared to Blacks and Whites, Latinos are less likely to remain in treatment and to be less satisfied with it. The research on gender differences shows that despite the fact that women come into treatment with greater problem severity, they remain in treatment for about the same amount of time and can derive greater benefits from treatment than men. Racial/ethnic and gender comparisons are typically conducted separately providing no information about the combination of race and gender as it affects the impact of substance abuse treatment. It is the purpose of this paper to examine factors predicting post-treatment substance use for women and men within Black, Latino and White groups. Methods: The study analyzed a subset of data collected between 1993 and 1995 in the National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study (NTIES), a prospective, longitudinal multi-site study of substance abuse programs serving vulnerable and underserved populations. Organizational data were collected from program administrators at two points during a 12-month period. Client and service data were obtained from client interviews obtained at treatment intake, treatment exit and 12 months after treatment exit. The analytic sample consisted of 3,142 clients (1812 Blacks, 486 Latinos, 844 Whites; 1,123 Women and 2,019 Men). Descriptive statistics were used to assess characteristics of the treatment organizations and services received by each of the six race by gender groups. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to assess the organizational and service factors influencing outcome for each group. Results: Results show that women in Black, Hispanic and White subgroups consistently received more services than men, particularly access, family and mental health counseling services. Gender was a significant predictor of positive outcome only for the Latino group. Mental health services were important for White women and remaining in treatment was important for White men. Conclusions: Findings contribute to the growing knowledge of the role of race and gender on the impact of substance abuse treatment services and indicate the value of evaluating race and gender in combination. Although substance abuse treatment services are beneficial for all groups, the study provides preliminary evidence that different factors predict positive outcome for race and gender groups, reinforcing the need for culturally competent services tailored to specific client needs.