Abstract

Failure to initiate treatment for illicit drug users increases their likelihood of relapse and decreases their quality of life. Understanding the details of drug users’ past experiences with treatment and current perceived barriers to treatment might help to prepare strategies to promote future treatment intention, which is the first step toward entering treatment. This study aimed to examine barriers to treatment intention between two groups: drug users with past treatment experience (TE) and those without treatment experience (non-TE). Difference tests and regression analyses between drug users with TE and non-TE were conducted to clarify the barriers that affect treatment intention. The data were collected from various institutions in South Korea from September 2014 to August 2015. A total of 511 participants who used illicit drugs responded to the self-report survey. Barriers to treatment, as intrinsic enabling factors, were used as the main predictors, controlling the predisposing, need, and extrinsic enabling factors outlined in Anderson’s health service utilization model. Future intention to seek treatment was the outcome variable. Barriers to treatment affected treatment intention differently in the TE and non-TE groups. In the non-TE group, higher levels of the perceived absence of a problem, negative social support, and time conflicts were significantly associated with low intention to get treated, while privacy concerns increased treatment intention. In the TE group, time conflict was the only factor that lowered treatment intention. Knowing drug users’ prior TE can provide information about their treatment readiness. Strategies intended to mitigate barriers to treatment and promote treatment engagement on the part of the drug users can be effectively developed by considering their prior TE.