Kathleen Burlew1, Caravella McCuistian2, José Szapocznik3. 1. Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Mail Location #210375, Cincinnati, OH, 45213, USA. Kathy.burlew@uc.edu. 2. Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco, 3333 California St., Ste. 265, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA. 3. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 3380 Devon Road, Miami, FL, 33133-5902, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Opioid use and opioid-related overdose continue to rise among racial/ethnic minorities. Social determinants of health negatively impact these communities, possibly resulting in poorer treatment outcomes. Research is needed to investigate how to overcome the disproportionate and deleterious impact of social determinants of health on treatment entry, retention, drug use and related outcomes among racial/ethnic minorities. The current commentary provides recommendations that may help researchers respond more effectively to reducing health disparities in substance use treatment. We begin with recommendations of best research practices (e.g., ensuring adequate recruitment of racial/ethnic minorities in research, central components of valid analysis, and adequate methods for assessing effect sizes for racial/ethnic minorities). Then, we propose that more NIDA research focuses on issues disproportionately affecting racial/ethnic minorities. Next, techniques for increasing the number of underrepresented racial/ethnic treatment researchers are suggested. We then recommend methods for infusing racial/ethnic expertise onto funding decision panels. This commentary ends with a case study that features NIDA's National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed recommendations can serve as guidelines for substance use research funders to promote research that has the potential to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in substance use treatment and to increase training opportunities for racial/ethnic minority researchers.
BACKGROUND: Opioid use and opioid-related overdose continue to rise among racial/ethnic minorities. Social determinants of health negatively impact these communities, possibly resulting in poorer treatment outcomes. Research is needed to investigate how to overcome the disproportionate and deleterious impact of social determinants of health on treatment entry, retention, drug use and related outcomes among racial/ethnic minorities. The current commentary provides recommendations that may help researchers respond more effectively to reducing health disparities in substance use treatment. We begin with recommendations of best research practices (e.g., ensuring adequate recruitment of racial/ethnic minorities in research, central components of valid analysis, and adequate methods for assessing effect sizes for racial/ethnic minorities). Then, we propose that more NIDA research focuses on issues disproportionately affecting racial/ethnic minorities. Next, techniques for increasing the number of underrepresented racial/ethnic treatment researchers are suggested. We then recommend methods for infusing racial/ethnic expertise onto funding decision panels. This commentary ends with a case study that features NIDA's National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed recommendations can serve as guidelines for substance use research funders to promote research that has the potential to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in substance use treatment and to increase training opportunities for racial/ethnic minority researchers.
Keywords:
Drug treatment; Racial/ethnic disparities; Racial/ethnic investigator training; Racial/ethnic minorities; The National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN)