Author(s)

Minjeong Kim¹, Jinhee Lee², Midori Nakajima³, Linda Chafetz³

¹School of Nursing, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA.
²School of Nursing, California State University-East Bay, Hayward, USA.
³University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, USA.

Although severe and chronic mental disorders are common among Asian Americans in residential treatment programs, little has been known about the prevalence and predictors of co-occurring substance use in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of co-occurring substance use among Asian Americans with mental disorders in residential treatment programs. This cross-sectional study included 375 clinical records of Asian Americans from residential treatment programs between 2007 and 2011. Demographic variables, principal psychiatric diagnoses, and data on alcohol, stimulant, and marijuana use were obtained from the clinical records. Separate binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the demographic and diagnostic contributions to the risk of each type of substance use. Findings of this study indicated that the prevalence of co-occurring substance use was about 53% in Asian Americans with mental disorders. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that male gender, older age, and depressive disorder predicted more alcohol use, but homelessness and schizophrenia predicted less alcohol use. Male gender, homelessness, and smoking predicted more stimulant use. Male gender and younger age predicted more marijuana use. Based on the findings of this study, awareness about co-occurring substance use problems of ethnic minority psychiatric clients should be increased and appropriate substance use prevention and treatment programs should be developed and provided for high-risk groups.

Asian Americans, Mental Disorders, Substance Use

Kim, M. , Lee, J. , Nakajima, M. and Chafetz, L. (2019) Predictors of Co-Occurring Substance Use among Asian Americans in Residential Treatment Programs. Open Journal of Psychiatry, 9, 153-164. doi: 10.4236/ojpsych.2019.92012.