Opioid Agonist Maintenance for Probationers: Patient-Level Predictors of Treatment Retention, Drug Use, and Crime

• NCJ Number: 239133
• Journal: Substance Abuse Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: January-March 2012 Pages: 30-39
• Author(s): Jan Gryczynski, M.A.; Timothy W. Kinlock, Ph.D.; Sharon M. Kelly, Ph.D.; Kevin E. O'Grady, Ph.D.; Michael S. Gordon, D.P.A.; Robert P. Schwartz, M.D.
• Date Published: February 2012
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): KD1 T1 12315
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined outcomes and their predictors among probationers enrolled in opioid agonist maintenance with methadone or levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM).

Abstract

This study examined outcomes and their predictors among 181 probationers enrolling in opioid agonist maintenance with methadone or levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM). Participants were interviewed at treatment entry and 2-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. Treatment retention and frequency of heroin use, cocaine use, and income-generating criminal activity were examined using survival and longitudinal analyses. Participants reported marked reductions in drug use and crime relative to treatment entry. A number of patient characteristics associated with various outcomes were identified. The findings support engaging probationers in treatment and highlight patient factors that might influence outcomes. (Published Abstract)