Race Differences in the Association Between Binge Drinking and Treatment Among First-Time Justice-System-Impacted Youth

Abstract

Abstract Aims We aim to determine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in the association between binge drinking frequency and community-based alcohol treatment among justice-system-impacted adolescents and young adults. Methods We examined whether race/ethnicity moderated the relation between binge drinking and youths’ likelihood of receiving alcohol treatment. The sample included 1216 male, first-time-arrested youth from the Crossroads Study (2011–2018). Participants were recruited from CA, PA and LA. Results Among youth who binge drank occasionally, Black youth were less likely to receive alcohol treatment than White (b = −0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] [−0.13, −0.04]) and Hispanic/Latino (b = −0.06, 95% CI [−0.09, −0.02]) youth. There were no differences between the White and Hispanic/Latino youth. Black youth who were frequent binge drinkers were as likely to receive alcohol treatment as White youth who binge drank significantly less often. There were no racial/ethnic differences in alcohol treatment at the highest level of binge drinking. Conclusion Black youth who binge drink occasionally are less likely than White youth to receive alcohol treatment. The present findings highlight a need for efforts to mitigate racial disparities in access to or motivations to seek community-based treatment.