SAMHSA is aware that the recent upgrade of its Data, Outcomes and Quality web pages have introduced some new issues that we are working diligently to resolve. Please be assured that each day the functionality of these web pages will continue to improve.
Data Spotlight
Individuals Admitted to Substance Abuse
Treatment Have Less Education than the
General U.S. Population
|
According to 2009 data from the Treatment Episode Data Set, substance abuse treatment
admissions aged 21 or older were more likely than persons of the same age in the general U.S.
population(*1) to have left school before completing high school or receiving a GED (32.1 vs. 12.7
percent; Figure). Individuals admitted to substance abuse treatment were also less likely than the
general population to have attended college (24.9 vs. 57.1 percent).
|
|
|
|
Having a low level of education can add to the challenges that people with substance abuse problems face in obtaining and maintaining
employment(*2). Unemployment
and underemployment can,
in turn, make it even more
difficult for these individuals
to lead healthy, stable, and
independent lives. Connecting
individuals in substance abuse
treatment to GED programs,
higher education, and/or job
skills training is one potential
way to help improve their
employment prospects and
overall quality of life.
|
(*1)U.S. Census Bureau. (2009). PUMS on
DataFerrett [Data from the American Community
Survey Public Use Microdata Sample]. Retrieved
from http://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/data_ferrett_for_pums/.
(*2)Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and
Quality. (2011). Section 7.1. Substance dependence, abuse, and treatment: Education/employment. In Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
Summary of national findings (NSDUH Series H-41, HHS Publication No. SMA 11-4658). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 2009, based on data
received through November 3, 2010. TEDS is a compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those
admitted for substance abuse treatment in the United States. TEDS is one component of the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System
(DASIS), an integrated data system maintained by the Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, SAMHSA.
The Data Spotlight may be copied without permission. Citation of the source is appreciated. Find this report and those on similar topics online at
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/.