Schmidt L A, McCarty D
Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2000 Aug;24(8):1298-311.
Recent welfare reform policies could fundamentally change the nature of public-sector substance abuse services available to women. This review summarizes what is presently known about substance abuse services and women on welfare, and identifies limitations in our current knowledge about the potential effects of welfare reform. Five crucial areas are examined in which research on services has fallen short: (1) assessing the need for substance abuse services across a broad spectrum of welfare populations, (2) exploring the role that alcohol and drug problems play in welfare dependency, (3) examining how welfare programs can serve as pathways to alcohol and drug treatment, (4) evaluating the effectiveness and costs of innovative welfare-treatment programs, and (5) understanding systems-level adaptations in substance abuse services for women that result from changing welfare policies. We conclude that researchers who study services should take a broad view of these issues-one that considers the unique situation of poor women and single mothers, that views substance abuse within a work impairment or disabilities framework, and one that is attuned to future changes in the effects of welfare reform as the economy and labor markets undergo change.
近期的福利改革政策可能会从根本上改变向女性提供的公共部门药物滥用服务的性质。本综述总结了目前关于药物滥用服务和领取福利的女性的已知情况，并指出了我们目前对福利改革潜在影响的认识存在的局限性。审查了服务研究不足的五个关键领域：(1)评估广泛福利人群对药物滥用服务的需求；(2)探讨酒精和药物问题在福利依赖中所起的作用；(3)研究福利项目如何能够成为通往酒精和药物治疗的途径；(4)评估创新福利治疗项目的有效性和成本；(5)理解因福利政策变化而导致的针对女性的药物滥用服务在系统层面的调整。我们得出结论，研究服务的人员应从广泛的视角看待这些问题——既要考虑贫困女性和单身母亲的独特情况，在工作障碍或残疾框架内看待药物滥用问题，又要随着经济和劳动力市场的变化而关注福利改革影响的未来变化。
