Pathways into drug user treatment: the influence of gender and racial/ethnic identity.

Drawing on constructs from models of health behavior change, this paper examines gender and racial/ethnic influences on access to residential drug user treatment. Using a focus group methodology, data were collected from a sample of 65 in-treatment White, Black, and Hispanic men and women. Hispanics were more likely to delay treatment because of a reluctance to acknowledge their addictions and discomfort at being separated from family. Females reported more negative expectations about treatment than males and more use of drugs to bolster self-esteem. Responsibility to children represented the most powerful catalyst to treatment for women. Implications for improving access to treatment for women and minorities are discussed.