• Rachel Reilly, Handan Wand, Rebecca McKetin, Brendan Quinn, Nadine Ezard, Adrian Dunlop, Kate Conigrave, Carla Treloar, Yvette Roe, Dennis Gray, Jacqueline Stephens, James Ward, and on the behalf of the NIMAC Community Researchers and Partner Sites.
• Infectious Diseases Aboriginal Health Research, Aboriginal Health Equity Unit, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia.
• Drug Alcohol Rev. 2020 Sep 1; 39 (6): 646-655.

Introduction And AimsThere is a need for detailed information on methamphetamine use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We describe a national survey on methamphetamine use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people.Design And MethodsParticipants aged 16 years or older who reported using methamphetamine in the past year were recruited for a cross-sectional survey through 10 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. Surveys were completed anonymously on electronic tablets. Measures included the Australian Treatment Outcomes Profile, the Severity of Dependence Scale, subscales from Opiate Treatment Index and the Kessler 10. A Chronic Stress Scale was used to assess culturally situated chronic stress factors.ResultsOf the 734 participants, 416 (59%) were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and 331 (45%) were female. In the previous year, most participants reported smoking (48.7%) or injecting (34%) methamphetamine and 17.4% reported daily use. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people did not differ significantly from non-Indigenous participants on methamphetamine use patterns (age at first use, frequency of use, main mode of use, injecting risk, poly drug use). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants felt less able to access health care (32% vs. 48%, P < 0.001), including mental health services (19% vs. 29%, P < 0.002), were less likely to report a mental health diagnosis (50% vs. 60%, P < 0.002) and were more likely to turn to family for support (52% vs. 34%, P < 0.001).Discussion And ConclusionsWe recruited and surveyed a large sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from which we can derive detailed comparative data on methamphetamine use and related health service needs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians.© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

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