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Perceived unmet need and barriers to care amongst street-involved people who use illicit drugs.
- Source :
-
Drug and alcohol review [Drug Alcohol Rev] 2017 May; Vol. 36 (3), pp. 295-304. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 May 30. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Introduction and Aims: Research on perceived unmet need for care for mental health and substance use problems focuses on general populations to the detriment of hidden populations. This study describes prevalence and correlates of perceived unmet need for care in a community-based sample of street-involved people who use illicit drugs and identifies barriers to care.<br />Design and Methods: A sample of 320 street-involved people who use drugs participated in a structured, interviewer-assisted survey in Edmonton, Canada. The survey included the Perceived Need for Care Questionnaire, which assessed unmet need for care for mental health and substance use problems across seven service types. Logistic regression examined the associations between perceived unmet need, extent of socioeconomic marginalisation and problem severity. Barriers underlying unmet service needs were also examined.<br />Results: Most (82%) participants reported unmet need for one or more services during the past year. Odds of reporting one or more unmet needs were elevated amongst participants reporting substantial housing instability (adjusted odds ratio = 2.37; 95% confidence interval 1.19-4.28) and amongst participants meeting criteria for drug dependence (adjusted odds ratio = 1.22; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.50), even after adjustment for sociodemographic covariates. Structural, rather than motivational barriers were the most commonly reported reasons underlying unmet service needs.<br />Discussion and Conclusion: Street-involved people who use drugs experience very high rates of perceived unmet need for care for mental health and substance use problems. General population studies on perceived unmet need are insufficient for understanding needs and barriers to care in hidden populations.[Hyshka E, Anderson JT, Wild TC. Perceived unmet need and barriers to care amongst street-involved people who use illicit drugs. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:295-304].<br /> (© 2016 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)
- Subjects :
- Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Substance-Related Disorders epidemiology
Substance-Related Disorders psychology
Substance-Related Disorders therapy
Surveys and Questionnaires
Health Services Accessibility
Health Services Needs and Demand statistics & numerical data
Ill-Housed Persons psychology
Illicit Drugs
Mental Health Services statistics & numerical data
Perception
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1465-3362
- Volume :
- 36
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Drug and alcohol review
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 27242102
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.12427