Disparities in treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders for ethnic/racial minority youth

Abstract

Objective: To review the literature on racial and ethnic disparities in behavioral health services and present recent data, focusing on services for substance use disorders (SUD) and comorbid mental health disorders for children and adolescents.

Method: A literature review was conducted of behavioral health services for minority youth. Articles were included if specific comparisons in receipt of SUD services for youth were made by race or ethnicity. The review was organized according to a sociocultural framework.

Results: Compared with non-Latino Whites with SUD, Black adolescents with SUD reported receiving less specialty and informal care, and Latinos with SUD reported less informal services. Potential mechanisms of racial and ethnic disparities were identified in federal and economic health care policies and regulations, the operation of the health care system and provider organization, provider level factors, the environmental context, the operation of the community system, and patient level factors. Significant disparity decreases could be achieved by adoption of certain state policies and regulations that increase eligibility in public insurance. There is also a need to study how the organization of treatment services might lead to service disparities, particularly problems in treatment completion. Institutional and family characteristics linked to better quality of care should be explored. Because treatments appear to work well independent of race/ethnicity, translational research to bring evidence-based care in diverse communities can bolster their effectiveness.

Conclusions: This review suggests promising venues to decrease ethnic and racial disparities in behavioral health services for ethnic and racial minority youth.