NCJ Number
196560
Journal
American Journal on Addictions Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2002 Pages: 57-65
Date Published
2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined patient characteristics and posttreatment experiences to determine who was likely to benefit from short-term inpatient treatment for substance abuse and under what circumstances.
Abstract
The study sample was composed of 748 patients in 12 short-term inpatient programs. Following admission to the program, each patient provided written consent to participate in a two-part intake interview, with sessions held approximately 1 week apart. These interviews encompassed background characteristics, alcohol and drug use history, illegal behaviors, employment, and clinical assessment. Treatments were based primarily on the 12-step model and provided intensive 24-hour exposure to the therapeutic milieu as an instrument of change. Supportive group and individual counseling were used, along with lectures, work assignment, family counseling, and daily reading group that focused on 12-step principles. Trained interviewers re-contacted patients selected for face-to-face follow-up interviews at approximately 12 months after discharge. Interviews focused on drug use and related behaviors during the past year. Treatment stays were measured in weeks. For the purposes of analyses these were grouped into four length-of-stay categories: less than 3 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, and 5 or more weeks. A stay of 5 or more weeks generally meant the patient had completed inpatient treatment and gone on to an outpatient aftercare phase sponsored by the program or an affiliate. The follow-up found that 22 percent of patients used cocaine at least weekly in the 1-year follow-up period, and an additional 9 percent drank frequently, compared with pretreatment rates of 69 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Overall, patients' social support networks following treatment were more important factors than the pretreatment or during-treatment variables examined. The study advises that patients with many background problems will most likely benefit from a treatment stay of at least 90 days in a long-term residential facility. Low-severity cases, on the other hand, are likely to have comparable outcomes regardless of treatment setting and stay. An important element of such programs is the provision of recovery support networks. 3 tables and 29 references