Table 2 Population profile of substance-using and non-substance using persons within the SASS data set compared with the SACENDU data collected between 2007–2009)
From: Social service offices as a point of entry into substance abuse treatment for poor South Africans
| Â | SASS data (1817 cases) | SACENDU data | Comparison between substance users in SASS and SACENDU | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Substance users (691) | Non-substance users (1126) | Substance users only (17631) | Test statistic (df) | P value | ||||
N | % | N | % | N | % | |||
Gender | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Male | 459 | 66.8 | 430 | 38.2 | 13197 | 74.9 | 21.92(1) | <0.001 |
 Female | 228 | 33.2 | 696 | 61.8 | 4434 | 25.1 | 21.93 (1) | <0.001 |
Race | Â | Â | ||||||
 Black African | 78 | 11.4 | 326 | 29.0 | 1529 | 8.7 | 5.12 (1) | 0.02 |
 Asian/Indian | 2 | <1 | 26 | 2.3 | 132 | <1 | 1.65 (1) | 0.19 |
 Coloured | 590 | 85.6 | 753 | 67.0 | 12279 | 69.9 | 68.45 (1) | <0.001 |
 White | 17 | 2.5 | 19 | 1.7 | 3620 | 20.6 | 120.69(1) | <0.001 |
Mean age (years, SD) | 25.21 | 11.98 | 33.7 | 16.8 | 28.11 | 11.56 | 6.44 (16773) | <0.001 |
Employment | Â | Â | ||||||
 Working | 163 | 23.6 | 290 | 25.8 | 4973 | 31.0 | 16.75 (1) | <0.001 |
 Unemployed | 365 | 52.8 | 468 | 41.7 | 8272 | 51.5 | .520 (1) | 0.47 |
 Student/learner | 138 | 20.0 | 181 | 16.1 | 2177 | 13.6 | 23.09 (1) | <0.001 |
 Housewife | 7 | 1.0 | 54 | 4.8 | 108 | 0.7 | 1.14 (1) | 0.29 |
Marital status | Â | Â | ||||||
 Married, living with spouse | 78 | 11.3 | 313 | 29.7 | 3139 | 19.5 | 28.81 (1) | <0.001 |
 Living together | 32 | 4.6 | 78 | 7.0 | 950 | 5.9 | 1.97 (1) | 0.34 |
 Divorced | 67 | 9.7 | 72 | 6.4 | 976 | 6.1 | 15.03 (1) | <0.001 |
 Single | 493 | 71.4 | 532 | 47.4 | 10763 | 66.9 | 6.11 (1) | 0.01 |
Education | Â | Â | ||||||
 Primary (Grade 1–7) | 279 | 41.1 | 197 | 17.9 | 2076 | 13.2 | 414.20 (1) | <0.001 |
 Secondary (Grade 8–12) | 379 | 55.8 | 604 | 53.6 | 12094 | 76.7 | 153.99 (1) | <0.001 |
 Tertiary | 0 | 0.0 | 300 | 26.6 | 1538 | 9.7 | 73.01(1) | <0.001 |
Primary substance of abuse | Â | Â | ||||||
 Alcohol | 322 | 46.6 | − | − | 5075 | 31.5 | 69.54 (1) | <0.001 |
 Cannabis | 190 | 27.5 | − | − | 2309 | 14.3 | 90.92 (1) | <0.001 |
 Methamphetamine | 132 | 19.1 | − | − | 6623 | 41.1 | 133.10 (1) | <0.001 |
Presenting problems | Â | Â | ||||||
 Family problems | 274 | 39.7 | 336 | 29.8 | − | − |  |  |
 Work | 74 | 10.7 | 21 | 1.9 | − | − |  |  |
 Financial | 181 | 26.2 | 194 | 17.2 | − | − |  |  |
 Social security | 27 | 3.9 | 70 | 6.2 | − | − |  |  |
 Child neglect/abuse | 69 | 10.0 | 123 | 10.9 | − | − |  |  |
 Substance abuse problems | 410 | 59.3 | 68 | 6.0 | − | − |  |  |
 Domestic violence | 118 | 17.1 | 63 | 5.6 | − | − |  |  |
 Statutory intervention | 113 | 16.4 | 310 | 27.5 | − | − |  |  |
 Custodial issues | 20 | 2.9 | 89 | 7.9 | − | − |  |  |
 Homeless/Destitute | 19 | 2.7 | 34 | 3.0 | − | − |  |  |
 Substance abuse in the family | 115 | 16.6 | 94 | 8.3 | − | − |  |  |