Multicultural issues related to substance and addiction

Instructions

For this task, imagine that you were asked to prepare a presentation at your local public health center to increase their multicultural awareness of substance use disorder. You will address physicians, nurses, social workers, and public health workers. Differentiate the causes, course of substance use disorder, and other factors that influence drug use in at least three ethnic groups. Be sure to note differences between men and women in general, and within these various subgroups.  You may choose the format for this presentation; and you may prepare a recorded lecture with an accompanying transcript of the lecture, a PowerPoint presentation, or a written lecture. Length: Written Lecture: 5-7 pages  or PowerPoint Presentation: 12-15 slides with 100 to 150-word notes per slide  or a recorded lecture between 3 to 5 minutes. Resources: Your presentation should draw on the resources listed for this week, as well as 3 three articles published in peer-reviewed journals in the past 5 years. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included. If you choose to record your lecture, upload it to your instructor in MP3 format; this file must not exceed 8mb. An average lecture tends to be 100 to 150 words per minute. There are many audio recording programs available. Audacity is an open-source recording program available on the Internet. The instructions for using audacity are located under your weekly resources. Your presentation should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.

Gender and Diversity Issues in Substance Abuse

The source, pattern of use, and impact of substance abuse and dependency differ between genders, among ethnic groups, and for a variety of unique contextual factors that identify the individuality of each person. For example, it may be considered taboo for a woman to stop at a bar to have a drink at lunch, whereas a male may not be viewed as doing anything wrong. Such identification is also met with stigma and prejudice, both of which create significant barriers to self-acceptance and understanding by others when one is dealing with an SUD. Stigma is observed when mothers with substance use disorders are blamed for addiction with statements such as "choosing to use drugs over taking care of their kids" are made in public forums. Another example is African Americans disproportionately represent more than two-thirds of the federal prison population, but only account for 25% of the American population. These are examples of cultural and gender differences.

Historically, research and treatment have focused on heterosexual males representing the predominately White U.S. culture. Unfortunately, the results have been a treatment system that primarily caters to those who represent the majority. Granted, changes are occurring with the development of women’s programs and more diversity in the treatment workforce, but problems still exist and some clients may be missing out on the type of understanding that leads to successful recovery.

This week, you will learn more about a variety of differences that are affected by stigmas and stereotypes which, unfortunately, create obstacles to prevention, assessment, and treatment of SUDs.

Be sure to carefully review this week’s resources. You are expected to apply the information from these resources when you prepare your assignments.