Abstract
After conducting analysis of the literature, it is possible to provide the following classification of the managerial and medical approaches towards the drug and alcohol treatment of aboriginal women: drug treatment, development of the personal skills among the target population as well as practical implementation of the therapeutic strategies, which are mainly based on the cultural and social contexts of such women.
There is a considerable difference in terms of availability of such services for the Aboriginal populations and non-Aboriginal populations. For instance, those women, who are not referred as representatives of indigenous population, have an access to the wide set of the educational, therapeutic or even more social support in the settings, which work on alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment. It was indicated in the scope of this study that the core task for the organizations responsible for provision of the collaborative service arrangement for Aboriginal women with substance use issues is to enhance the access to such treatment options as well as popularize it among the target audience.
Key words: substance abuse, Aboriginal women, programs, treatment.
Introduction 4
Background of the Drug and Alcohol Abuse among the Aboriginal Women 4
Core Reasons for Increased Rates of AOD dependence among Aboriginal women 5
Differences of Treatment Substance Dependence Treatment Options Among Aboriginal populations and non-Aboriginal Population in Australia 5
Major Approaches Towards Addressing The Problem of the Drug and Alcohol Abuse among the Aboriginal Women 6
Conclusion 8
References 9
Evidence of the Most Effective Approach towards Drug and Alcohol Treatment of Aboriginal Women, Children, Families
Introduction
First of all, it essential to note that those Aboriginal women, who suffer from the substance use disorders, are referred in the scientific literature (as well as by corresponding organizations) as vulnerable segment of population. In the scope of this paper, the core underlying social issues, major approaches towards supporting and assistance of this group of population would be represented as they are applied into the practice or outlined by the scholars in the scope of their scientific investigations (both theoretical and practical ones). Additional emphasis would be put on the way, this vulnerable population is treated in the context of provision of the drug treatment and outpatient alcohol services in Australia (Ware, 2013).
Background of the Drug and Alcohol Abuse among the Aboriginal Women
It was stated by the experts, that the problems of the alcohol and other drug (AOD) consumption and abuse are urgent among the indigenous population (especially women) of Australia. Among the core reasons for such trend, it is possible to consider the social concerns as well as the poor health condition of this segment of population (Arnott et al, 2010). In addition, such negative phenomenon affects the family members of such women and their children in particular. In the scope of their investigation, Fuller,et al (2005) have indicated that these issues are common for the other groups of population in all over the world - when people face with the disadvantage and exclusion (for example, indigenous peoples in USA, Canada and New Zealand).
Core Reasons for Increased Rates of AOD dependence among Aboriginal women
There is a particular marginalization of the Aboriginal women, who need the treatment of the AOD dependence (McKendrick et al, 2013). The core reason for that is the wide set of the social and health-related issues as well as the stigma, pertaining to this type of dependence. In addition, those women, who have children, face with the complications in terms of engagement into the various available treatment services – for instance, some of them are afraid of notification to the child protection agencies and organizations (Allan & Kemp, 2011). That is why, it is critically important for the treatment agencies to develop the set of possible approaches for motivation of such women, while taking in consideration the ways and options for the child empowering (such as development of the corresponding women’s groups) (ANROWS, 2015).
Differences of Treatment Substance Dependence Treatment Options Among Aboriginal populations and non-Aboriginal Population in Australia
there are the groups, where the treatment is grounded on the therapeutic models (such as cognitive behavior therapy); principles of anonymous treatment of alcoholism (12-step program of mutual assistance); mindfulness approaches etc.; specific educational programs on the core postulates of the healthy lifestyle (the major topics, discussed within these programs are the following- understanding of the high risk of addiction; negative effect of substance abuse for the health condition of an individual one’s social position etc.); enhancement of the individuals’ self-efficiency via the means of development of the life skills (Hunt, 2013).
It is essential to note that at the current stage of the problem and its addressing, some cultural and social support is provided to the vulnerable population of the country (both indigenous and non-indigenous) (Bainbridge, et al, 2015). This support is represented in the following forms: different rehabilitation centers provide the options for such women to integrate their efforts (in the team working form) for addressing the major challenges, set by dependence on the substance use.
In the context of the problem, investigated in this paper, the following information should be outlined - there is a set of the adapted programs (from the classical approaches, developed to the non-Aboriginal population) to their Aboriginal counterparts. The core emphasis in this case is put on integration of the Aboriginal context into such programs. As an evident example of such approach, it is possible to consider the SMART Recovery, which was offered in 2012 by HealthInfoNet for Australian Indigenous (Kylie Lee et al, 2016). Still, there is a lack of the evidence of the wide-scale effectiveness of such programs, as they are still not accepted on the national wide scales.
Major Approaches Towards Addressing The Problem of the Drug and Alcohol Abuse among the Aboriginal Women
As it was indicated by the scholars, there is a distinctive etiology of the substance abuse among females. Thus, this problem should be addressed with the help of specially development treatment. One of the first large scale and evidence-based trial in addressing this concern was done in the 1970s by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in US. The experts from this institution have developed the program, oriented on treatment of the substance abuse among females. In accordance with the historical data, further programs have not been developed in the global scales until in 1980s, there was a cocaine epidemic – and as a result, significant attention of the corresponding organizations was focused on the crack-addicted women as well as on their children, who have lacked specific treatment programs (Wells et al, 2001).
In the scope of the further programs and investigations on that issue, it was indicated that there is a significant difference in substance abuse among males and females and thus, there was a need of specifically-developed treatment and therapeutic methods and interventions (Dudgeon et al, 2016). Currently, scholars all over the world accept the fact that there is a need of taking into account such variable as sex in the process of designing and assessment of the health-related and biomedical issues of the programs, addressing the substance abuse (Brady, 2002).
As it has been already stated, there is a set of differences between the male and female substance abuse. It was indicated by the scientists that there is a need of considering the substance abuse from the perspective of the social context - for instance, such form of abuse frequently occurs after some traumatic life events (any form of violence), accidents, physical disorders, negative aspects of the family life etc. take their places. Also, there are the cases when the core reason for women’s engagement into the substance use is driven by their partners or any other environment of drug/alcohol users (Osborne et al, 2014).
There is a wide pool of scientific evidence concerning the unique physical characteristics, demonstrated by women in terms of the substance abuse - such as poor self-concepts (self-blame, lower rates of self-esteem etc.) alongside with the high rates of the problems, associated with cognitive activities and mental health (anxiety, suicidal ideation, food consumption disorders, depression, bipolar affective disorder, negative concerns, associated with the psychosexual area, and posttraumatic (or postnatal) stress) (Plath, 2006); (Allan and Campbell, 2011).
Additional attention should be put to such social concerns, faced by women with alcohol and other drug as labeling, social stigma and other abusive social reactions, which furthermore lead to the rejection of the treatment by such women (Check, 2014). There is a set of concerns when especially vulnerable women (lesbian females, women who have experienced any form of violence, former (or current) prostitutes etc) are not ready to accept the assistance within the frameworks of the already functioning programs. That is why, this concern should be additionally investigated by the the scholars for development and practical implementation of the most effective solution on the national wide scales (Nilson, 2004); (Rossiter et al, 2013).
Conclusion
In the scope of this investigation, it was indicated that effectiveness engagement of the indigenous women to the substance abuse treatment programs and further remaining in such programs, is not limited to the wide access to such programs an their openness to all segments of population, but additional attention should be put on such social and family factors, affecting the corresponding decisions of the representatives of this target population as their mental and physical health and child care.
In other words those representatives of the target population, who are younger, have lower rates of employment and education, represent the higher risk of being not treated – as they lack an access to the treatment options, are not aware of these programs as well as do not consider treatment as a needed intervention due to the lack of education.
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