The relationship between Black racial identity, motivation, and retention in substance abuse treatment

Substance abuse treatment programs, empirically shown to be the most effective means to reduce drug and alcohol use, have been unable to help large numbers of individuals. Data have consistently shown that length of stay in treatment is associated with greater success at reducing substance use, yet high attrition prevents many from ever achieving treatment goats. High attrition has been especially problematic for Black substance abusers, who are overrepresented in the treatment population and tend to present with greater addiction severity. Factors which may account for such high attrition among Black substance abusers remain poorly understood. Empirical studies of Black substance abusers have tended to be descriptive, emphasizing comparisons between racial groups, and have tended to overlook exploration of psychological processes within racial groups. Research has demonstrated that racial group identification varies psychologically, but that knowledge has not yet been explored in substance abuse research.; Exploration of racial and motivational processes of Black substance abusers has seen limited investigation. Blacks have higher overall abstinence rates than other racial groups, but are more severely impacted by drug and alcohol abuse when they do use substances. Various aspects of these disparities have been studied in isolation. Little attention has focused on addressing these issues comprehensively. The present study attempts to remedy this gap in the literature by examining how internal processes of racial identity and motivation influence Black substance abusers' retention in treatment.; This study explored the relationship between three attributes in Black substance abusers who were beginning treatment: racial identity, motivation, and retention. It was hypothesized that substance abusers would vary in their racial identity statuses, and that these differences would be related to motivation type and length of stay in treatment.; 107 Black substance abusers entering two outpatient treatment programs completed measures of racial identity (BRIAS), (Parham & Helms,1990) and treatment motivation (TMQ), (Ryan, 1995a).; Results were analyzed using multiple regression analysis; racial identity was also analyzed utilizing transformed percentiles, cluster and profile analyses, which enabled clear group distinctions to emerge. Significant results were obtained in a manner consistent with racial identity and self determination theories. Findings suggest that motivation for treatment, racial identity and length of stay in treatment are related variables which may be implicated in developing strategies to improve treatment for Black substance abusers.