The findings from this study should be interpreted in the context of its limitations. First, data gathered from the NESARC are based on self-reports by participants and therefore subject to recall and social desirability bias. Second, the small sample size of participants who reported barriers to treatment may have reduced the power to detect meaningful differences between the AUD groups with and without mood or anxiety disorder comorbidity. More targeted studies about barriers to treatment among individuals with AUD are warranted to fully understand differences in barriers faced by those with comorbidity and those without. Third, the list of barriers probed was limited and some barriers that may be especially important for individuals with comorbid disorders were likely missing. For example, many individuals with AUD with comorbid mood or anxiety disorders might have decided not to use services because the types of services that they desired or found helpful (e.g., integrated mental health and AUD services) were not available to them.
