CRACK ADDICTION AMONGST HOMELESS AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES

Morris Brown College, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (Applicant?s Abstract): The purpose of this research project is to analyze data collected from several studies and/or treatment interventions focusing upon African American males over the past ten years. Specifically, these data come from studies of approximately 100 residents of two transitional shelters and a larger sample of 270 men from programs housed in three former emergency shelters redesigned for the purpose of a study conducted by the Principal Investigator. These later shelters were transformed into transitional facilities where different treatment approaches were implemented. One facility served as a "control group" facility which allowed the Principal Investigator to study the use of urine testing for drugs without other treatments and how it would have an impact upon program retention. The two "experimental" programs used cognitive behavioral insight oriented and "therapeutic community" models of treatment with three different groups of men. Residents were randomly assigned to one treatment program and to the control group program. The purpose of this grant is to obtain teaching load reductions for two faculty, which will allow them to thoroughly analyze the data sets and publish at least three articles. In addition, the Principal Investigator also has qualitative data from treatment groups and field interviews from a variety of settings that will also be discussed in the planned publications. Bringing an African American cultural perspective to the design and implementation of the above programs as well as the interpretations of these data to the literature will perhaps be the most significant contribution of this proposed project.