Browsing by Author "Louw, J"

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    Gender differences in barriers to alcohol and other drug treatment in Cape Town South Africa
    (2011) Myers, B; Louw, J; Pasche, Sonja
    The study aimed to identify gender differences in barriers to alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment use among disadvantaged communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization was used as an analytic framework. Method: A case-control design was used to compare 434 individuals with AOD problems from disadvantaged communities who had accessed treatment with 555 controls who had not accessed treatment on a range of variables. Logistic regression procedures were employed to examine the unique profile of variables associated with treatment utilization for male and female participants. Results: Few gender differences emerged in terms of the pattern of variables associated with AOD treatment use. Greater awareness of treatment options and fewer geographic access and affordability barriers were strongly associated with an increased likelihood of AOD treatment use for both men and women from disadvantaged communities. However, while similar types of barriers to treatment were reported by men and women, these barriers had a greater impact on treatment utilization for women compared to men. Conclusion: Compared to men, women from disadvantaged communities in South Africa do not have equal access to AOD treatment. Recommendations on how to reduce these barriers and ways to improve AOD treatment use among women from disadvantaged communities in South Africa are provided.
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    Stigma, treatment beliefs, and substance abuse treatment use in historically disadvantaged communities
    (2009) Myers, B; Fakier, N; Louw, J
    Objective: Access to substance abuse treatment among historically disadvantaged communities (HDCs) in Cape Town, South Africa is limited, despite a growing demand for services. Although research has reported on structural barriers to treatment access, nonstructural factors remain largely unexplored. The aim of this paper is to describe two nonstructural influences on the use of substance abuse treatment services for people from HDCs: stigma and negative beliefs about treatment. Method: Findings from the qualitative component of a multi-method study are reported. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 key informants, all of whom worked or lived in HDCs in the greater Cape Town area. Content and thematic techniques were used to analyse data. Results: According to key informants (i) stigma towards individuals with substance use disorders was prevalent in HDCs and negatively impacted on attempts to access services; (ii) negative beliefs about the quality and effectiveness of treatment were commonplace and acted as barriers to the use of existing services; and (iii) several factors contributed to these nonstructural barriers including media representations of both individuals with substance use disorders and treatment facilities for these disorders. Conclusion: This paper moves beyond the description of structural barriers to treatment to describe how two nonstructural factors, stigma and negative beliefs about treatment, hinder treatment seeking for substance use disorders. Recommendations for addressing these barriers include efforts to (i) shift discourses about substance abuse treatment, (ii) improve service quality, and (iii) address myths and misconceptions about treatment.