Rural substance abuse treatment admissions were more likely than urban admissions to be referrals from the criminal justice system, said a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
The survey report, A Comparison of Rural and Urban Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions, was based on findings from SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for 2009.
Researchers found that a little over half of substance abuse referrals (51.6%) came from the criminal justice system compared to only a little of a quarter (28.4 %) of referrals came from urban areas.
Rural admissions were younger than urban admissions, less racially and ethnically diverse, and more likely to be employed (18 or older) full or part-time, the survey said.
Access the report here.