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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2006.01.002 Byline: Richard C. Rapp, Jiangmin Xu, Carey A. Carr, D. Tim Lane, Jichuan Wang, Robert Carlson Keywords: Substance abuse; Barriers; Treatment entry; Centralized intake unit Abstract: The 59-item Barriers to Treatment Inventory (BTI) was administered to 312 substance abusers at a centralized intake unit following assessment but before treatment entry to assess their views on barriers to treatment. Factor analysis identified 25 items in 7 well-defined latent constructs: Absence of Problem, Negative Social Support, Fear of Treatment, Privacy Concerns, Time Conflict, Poor Treatment Availability, and Admission Difficulty. The factorial structure of the barriers is consistent with the findings of other studies that asked substance abusers about barriers to treatment and is conceptually compatible with Andersen's model of health care utilization. Factors were moderately to highly correlated, suggesting that they interact with one another. Selected characteristics were generally not predictive of barrier factors. Overall, results indicate that the BTI has good content validity and is a reliable instrument for assessing barriers to drug treatment. The potential utility of the BTI in assessment settings is discussed. Author Affiliation: Center for Interventions, Treatment, and Addictions Research (CITAR), Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, OH 45435, USA Article History: Received 21 June 2005; Revised 30 November 2005; Accepted 9 January 2006

This study describes the drug-use practices and treatment histories of 249 not-in-treatment, drug-using individuals living in small towns in rural Ohio. Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit participants who answered questionnaires administered by interviewers. Descriptive statistics and latent class analysis (LCA) were used to examine the data. The illicit drugs most commonly used in the 6 months before entering the study were marijuana (89.6%), cocaine hydrochloride (80.3%), and crack cocaine (76.3%). Injection drug use was not uncommon. About a third of the sample experienced drunkenness frequently. Less than 14% had been in substance abuse treatment recently. LCA revealed two groups: (1) heavy users of virtually all drug classes and (2) moderate-to-light users of fewer drug classes. White and younger people were more likely to be classified in the heavy user group. The results suggest that comprehensive substance abuse prevention and treatment programs are needed in rural communities. Keywords: Substance abuse; Rural; Cocaine; Oxycodone; Epidemiology