LAUSR

Abstract South Africa alongside other low‐middle‐income countries have been some of the hardest hit by the substance use scourge. The study sought to identify and measure treatment barriers among young adults (18–29 years) living with substance use disorders, and then examine the role of gender in the perception of treatment barriers, with a view to establish gender‐based treatment specialty facilities as a strategy to promote treatment seeking among young South African women. Quantitative method was used for this study, employing simple random sampling. Exploratory factor analysis and independent samples t‐tests were used as statistical measures. The identified treatment barriers were found to have a larger effect on females than males. Women were considered less likely to utilise treatment services compared to males. Health promotion practitioners and policymakers can alleviate the situation by establishing gender‐based treatment facilities. that respond better to women's needs.