Relationship between social support and substance use among American Indian people with a self-identified substance use problem

Abstract

Objectives: The present study sought to understand the relationship between social support and substance use among American Indian adults with substance use disorder. Method: As part of a larger community-based participatory research project, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with 198 tribal members from a rural reservation community who self-identified as having a substance use problem. We examined associations between participant substance use and social network characteristics assessed using a modified version of the Important People Drug and Alcohol interview. Results: Variables associated with greater drug and alcohol abstinence among participants included living in larger household, having a greater percentage of the household that is sober, not having attended boarding school, having a larger percentage of the social network that does not accept one’s substance use, having a smaller percentage of the social network rated as moderate or heavy substance users, and having a smaller percentage of the social network that uses substances frequently. The size, general supportiveness, and importance of the social network were not significantly associated with participant substance use. Conclusions: Network substance use behavior was a better predictor of participant substance use outcomes than general support, substance-specific support, or support for recovery/treatment.