Systematic Review of Cocaine-Treatment Interventions for Black Americans

Evidence-based drug-treatment studies that have shaped best practice in the United States demonstrate racial differences in effectiveness, with Black participants reporting worse outcomes compared with White participants. There are disproportionate cocaine-related overdose deaths affecting Black Americans, with limited information about interventions that serve them best. Culturally tailored treatment approaches, which incorporate participants’ salient identities and experiences, have shown effectiveness in meta-analyses. Thus, in this qualitative systematic review, we used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to identify both culturally universal and culturally tailored treatment-intervention studies that addressed cocaine outcomes among Black Americans. Four hundred two articles met initial criteria, 330 were reviewed by independent coders, and k = 30 treatment approaches are described in the article. Results indicate 72% of culturally tailored interventions were effective at reducing cocaine use compared with 47% of culturally universal interventions. Implications for provision and funding of effective cocaine-treatment interventions for Black Americans are critical to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike.