Correlates of Alcohol-Related Treatment Among American Indians and Alaska Natives with Lifetime Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

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

Methods: Data come from the 2012 to 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 (PRs) among adults with DSM-5 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, and 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 (adjusted PR = 1.41 [95% CI 1.26 to 1.58]). Among AIAN with AUD, being male and age 35 to 64 were statistically significant correlates of seeking treatment or help for AUD.

Conclusions: A relatively higher proportion of AIAN than NHW with AUDs 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.

Keywords: Alcohol Use Disorder; Alcohol-Related Treatment; American Indians and Alaska Natives; National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.