Perceived barriers to access care, anticipated discrimination and structural vulnerability among African Americans with substance use disorders.

Background: The application of the structural vulnerability construct in medicine addresses social structures as the source of health inequities. Evidence demonstrates structural vulnerability as the meta-problem that underlie health disparities faced by underrepresented minorities who are less likely to access care and face stigma for substance use disorders (SUDs).

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess perceived vulnerability at the structural and interpersonal levels depicted by barriers to care, treatment-related stigma and anticipated discrimination among African Americans with SUDs.