Correlates of alcohol-related treatment among American Indians/Alaska Natives with lifetime alcohol use disorder.

PURPOSE: To describe sociodemographic and selected psychiatric disorder patterns and estimate correlates of seeking alcohol treatment among American Indians, Alaska Natives (AIAN) and Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) with lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD).

METHODS: Data come from the 2012-2013 U.S. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. We retrospectively identified participants who completed information on lifetime AUD, race/ethnicity and seeking alcohol treatment or help for AUD. We used a generalized linear model with a log link and Poisson distribution to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) among adults with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition lifetime AUD. We included the following correlates: race/ethnicity, sex, age, personal annual income, marital status, education, urban/rural status, U.S. region, any illegal drug use disorder, nicotine use disorder, select mood, anxiety, personality and trauma-related disorders.

RESULTS: Among AIAN the prevalence of lifetime AUD was 46.6%. Among AIAN with lifetime AUD, 33.8% sought alcohol-related treatment. Among individuals with lifetime AUD, AIAN were associated with greater alcohol-related treatment seeking compared to NHW (aPR = 1.41 [95% CI 1.26-1.58]). Among AIAN with AUD, being male and age 35-64 were statistically significant correlates of seeking treatment or help for AUD.

CONCLUSIONS: A relatively higher proportion of AIAN than NHW with alcohol use disorders sought alcohol treatment. Among individuals with lifetime AUD, significant demographic and psychiatric disorder correlates of treatment are present, showing that certain groups are less likely to seek treatment or help for alcohol-related issues. Among AIAN with AUD, these correlates may reflect distinct patterns of seeking alcohol-related treatment, which can inform more effective treatment promotion efforts with this population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.