Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Help-Seeking Behaviors in a Community Sample of Young Adults with Substance Use Disorders

  • Published:
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite the high prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) in the U.S., many with a SUD go untreated and/or report lengthy delays to help-seeking initiation. From a public health standpoint, because SUDs often emerge in early adulthood, information on help-seeking behaviors among young adults is important. Using data from young adults ages 18–23 years with a history of a SUD (n = 672) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, this study estimates the prevalence of lifetime help-seeking initiation and examines factors related to help seeking and delays to help-seeking initiation. The majority (68%) of young adults with a history of a SUD reported never having sought help, and those who reported help seeking experienced relatively lengthy delays (1–7 years) to help-seeking initiation. These findings underscore the need for both timely substance abuse treatment and for accelerated research on successful outreach strategies for young adults with SUDs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Zhao S, et al. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: Results from the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1994;51:8–19.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, et al. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of 12-Month DSM-IV disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005;62:617–627.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Grant BF, Dawson DA, Stinson FS, et al. The 12-month prevalence and trends in DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: United States, 1991–1992 and 2001–2002. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2004;74:223–234.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Department of Health and Human Resources. Results of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Rockville, MD, 2007

    Google Scholar 

  5. Harwood, H. Updating Estimates of the Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the United States: Estimates, Update Methods, and Data. Report prepared by The Lewin Group for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2000. Based on estimates, analyses, and data reported in Harwood, H.; Fountain, D.; and Livermore, G. The Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the United States 1992. Report prepared for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services. NIH Publication No. 98–4327. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health, 1998.

  6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NHSDA Series H-22, DHHS Publication No. SMA 03–3836). Rockville, MD, 2003.

  7. Wu, Li-Tzy, Daniel J. Pilowsky, William E. Schlenger, and Deborah Hasin. Alcohol Use Disorders and the Use of Treatment Services among College-Age Young Adults. Psychiatric Services. 2007;58(2):192–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Rosenberg, Linda. Building a meaningful future for young people with mental illness. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research. 2008;35(4):362–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Bland, R. C., S. C. Newman, and H. Orn. Lifetime Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Edmonton. Acta Psychiatry Scandinavia. 1988;77:24–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Giaconia, Rose M., Helen Z. Reinherz, Amy B. Silverman, Bilge Pakiz, Abbie K. Frost, and Elaine Cohen. Ages of Onset of Psychiatric Disorders in a Community Population of Older Adolescents. Journal of American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry. 1994;33(5):706–17.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Warner LA, Canino G, Colon HM. Prevalence and correlates of substance use disorders among older adolescents in Puerto Rico and the United States: a cross-cultural comparison. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2001;63:229–243.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Warner LA, Kessler RC, Hughes M, et al. Prevalence and correlates of drug use and dependence in the United States: Results from the national comorbidity survey. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1995;52:219–229.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Turner RJ, Gil A. Psychiatric and substance disorders in South Florida: Racial/ethnic and gender contrasts in a young adult cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2002;59:43–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Kessler, Ronald C., and Philip S. Wang. The Descriptive Epidemiology of Commonly Occurring Mental Disorders in the United States. Annual Review of Public Health. 2008;29:115–29

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Kessler, Ronald C., G. Paul Amminger, Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Jordi Alonso, Sing Lee and T. Bedirhan Üstün. Age of onset of mental disorders: a review of recent literature. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2007;20:359–364

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Pottick KJ, Bilder S, Stoep AV, et al. US patterns of mental health service utilization for transition-age youth and young adults. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services Research. 2008;35(4):373–389.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Cohen E, Feinn R, Arias A, et al. Alcohol treatment utilization: Findings from the national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2007;86:214–221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Kessler RC, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Berglund PA, et al. Patterns and predictors of treatment seeking after onset of a substance use disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2001;58:1065–1071.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wang PS, Berglund P, Olfson M, et al. Failure and delay in initial treatment contact after first onset of mental disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2005;62:603–613.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kessler RC, Olfson M, Berglund PA. Patterns and predictors of treatment contact after first onset of psychiatric disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1998;155:62–69.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wang PS, Berglund PA, Olfson M, et al. Delays in initial treatment contact after first onset of a mental disorder. Health Services Research. 2004;39:393–415.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Wu L-T, Ringwalt CL. Use of alcohol treatment and mental health services among adolescents with alcohol use disorders. Psychiatric Services. 2006;57(1):84–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Flynn PM, Brown BS. Co-occurring disorders in substance abuse treatment Issues and prospects. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2008;34(1):36–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Garland AF, Aarons GA, Brown SA, et al. Diagnostic profiles associated with use of mental health and substance abuse services among high-risk youths. Psychiatric Services. 2003;54:562–564.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Wu LT, Kouzis AC, Leaf PJ. Influence of comorbid alcohol and psychiatric disorders on utilization of mental health services in the national comorbidity survey. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1999;156:1230–1236.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Harris KM, Edlund MJ. Use of mental health care and substance abuse treatment among adults with co-occurring disorders. Psychiatric Services. 2005;56:954–959.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Vega WA, Gil AG. Drug use and ethnicity in early adolescence. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Hollingshead AB. Two Factor Index of Social Position. New Haven, CT: Hollingshead AB, 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  29. American Psychological Association (APA). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV), 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  30. Blazer DG, Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, et al. The prevalence and distribution of major depression in a national community sample: The national comorbidity survey. American Journal of Psychiatry. 1994;151(7):979–986.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Nelson CB, Little RJA, Heath AC, et al. Patterns of DSM-II-R alcohol dependence symptom progression in a general population survey. Psychological Medicine. 1996;26(3):449–460.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Wittchen H-U, Robins LN, Cottler LB, et al. Cross-cultural feasibility, reliability and sources of variance in the composite international diagnostic review (CIDI). British Journal of Psychiatry. 1991;159:645–653.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Wittchen H-U, Kessler RC, Zhao S, et al. Reliability and clinical validity of UM-CIDI DSM-III-R generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 1995;29(2):95–110.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Wittchen H-U, Zhao S, Abelson JM, et al. Reliability and procedural validity of UM-CIDI DSM-III-R phobic disorders. Psychological Medicine. 1996;26:1169–1177.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Prusoff BA, Merikangas KR, Weissman MM. Lifetime prevalence and age of onset of psychiatric disorders: recall 4 years later. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 1988;22:107–117.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Farrer LA, Florio LP, Bruce ML, et al. Reliability of self-reported age at onset of major depression. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 1989;23:35–47.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Freedman D, Thornton A, Camburn D, et al. The life history calendar: A technique for collecting retrospective data. In: Clogg CC (ed). Sociological Methodology. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 1988, pp. 37–68.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Cox DR. Regression models and life tables. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. 1972;B34:187–220.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Allison PD. Survival Analysis Using SAS: A Practical Guide. Cary, NC: SAS Publishing, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  40. DeWit DJ, Adlaf EM, Offord DR, et al. Age at first alcohol use: A risk factor for the development of alcohol disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2000;157:745–750.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Kosterman RJ, Hawkins D, Guo J, et al. The dynamics of alcohol and marijuana initiation: Patterns and predictors of first use in adolescence. American Journal of Public Health. 2000;90:360–366.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Gruber E, DiClemente RJ, Anderson MM, et al. Early drinking onset and its association with alcohol use and problem behavior in late adolescence. Preventive Medicine. 1996;25:293–300.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Guo J, Collins LM, Hill KG, et al. Developmental pathways to alcohol abuse and dependence in young adulthood. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 2000;61:799–808.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Windle M, Mun EY, Windle RC. Adolescent-to-young adulthood heavy drinking trajectories and their prospective predictors. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. 2005;66:313–322.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Gamble VN. Under the shadow of Tuskegee: African Americans and health care. American Journal of Public Health. 1997;87(11):1773–1778.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Padgett DK, Patrick C, Burns BJ, et al. Ethnicity and use of outpatient mental health services in a national insured population. American Journal of Public Health. 1994;84(2):222–226.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Schmidt L, Greenfield T, Mulia N. Unequal treatment: Racial and ethnic disparities in alcoholism treatment services. Alcohol Research & Health. 2006;29(1):49–54.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Eiser AR, Ellis G. Cultural competence and the African American experience with health care: The case for specific content in cross-cultural education. Academic Medicine. 2007;82(2):176–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grant RO1 DA10772 to R. Jay Turner from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Affiliated Faculty, Partnership for Urban Health Research, Georgia State University, 1080-A, P.O. Box 5020, Atlanta, GA, 30302-5020, USA

    Mathew D. Gayman PhD

  2. Department of Social Work, University of North Carolina, 325 Pittsboro Street, CB# 3550, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA

    Gary S. Cuddeback PhD

  3. Department of Public Health, University of North Carolina, 725 ML King Jr Blvd Rm 126, Sheps Center Health Services Research, Campus Box 7590, Chapel Hill, 27599-7590, USA

    Joseph P. Morrissey PhD

Authors
  1. Mathew D. Gayman PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gary S. Cuddeback PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Joseph P. Morrissey PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mathew D. Gayman PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gayman, M.D., Cuddeback, G.S. & Morrissey, J.P. Help-Seeking Behaviors in a Community Sample of Young Adults with Substance Use Disorders. J Behav Health Serv Res 38, 464–477 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-011-9243-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-011-9243-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation