Social Determinants of Alcohol and Substance Use and Mental Health: Implications for Population Health for Groups from Historically Marginalized Communities

Groups from historically marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by health inequities because of structural racism and discrimination via unequal distribution of power, opportunities, and resources, including exposure to poorer quality environmental conditions and unequal access to quality health care. Here we define historically marginalized communities as people or groups who have been disenfranchised from power and privilege based on their socio-cultural identities, including but not limited to: race and ethnicity, rural populations that are not equitably served, people from sexual, gender, linguistic, or religious minority groups, people who are asylees, refugees, or undocumented immigrants, or groups that have been economically marginalized. Due to historical and structural practices that have led to unequal distribution of power and resources, groups that have been historically marginalized are disproportionately impacted by more severe and persistent problems related to alcohol and substance use and mental health. To understand how health disparities in alcohol and substance use and mental health emerge and could be prevented among these communities, research needs to consider the impact of the social determinants of health, that is the conditions of the social, economic, and built environments in which people live and work, including job opportunities and income, access and quality to education, access and quality of healthcare, neighborhood and built environment conditions, as well as broader social and community conditions at the level of law and policy. Further, problems with alcohol and substance use and mental health often occur concurrently, yet they are often studied in isolation. Investigations of the intersection of the social determinants of health with alcohol and substance use and mental health can help inform policy, prevention interventions, and treatment for substance use and mental health among these communities.

The aim of this Research Topic is to highlight research examining the impact of social inequalities on alcohol and substance use and mental health.

Topics may include:
• Investigations or theoretical frameworks articulating ways in which racism and discrimination contribute to health inequities in alcohol and substance use related problems and mental health for marginalized communities.
• Investigation on the mechanisms by which social inequality impacts substance use and mental health.
• Investigation on the social determinants of health across all contexts, individual, family, school, neighborhood and community level conditions in relation to alcohol and substance use and mental health with implications for marginalized communities.
• Contributions to multilevel substance use and mental health interventions that address social, political, and economic determinants of health.
• Works that apply inclusive communication principles such as outlined by the CDC.