Prediction of treatment effectiveness in a drug-free therapeutic community

Client well-being in drug treatment: a social ecological analysis

A social ecological model of well-being, defined as subjective affirmation by clients regarding treatment experiences, was tested using county demographic data and responses of clients and therapeutic staff in community drug treatment programs registered in the State of Ohio. Multivariate analyses were conducted of a trilogy of variable constellations [Client Background, Therapeutic Proficiency, and Community Development] in relation to Client Well-Being. Findings upheld the origins of well-being in social environments and supported an evaluative focus on client experience in human service organizations.

Retention in outpatient drug free treatment clinics

This study examined time in treatment and the percentage of clients who quit or were expelled from drug treatment clinics as dependent measures in a general model including socioecological aspects of the clinic neighborhood environment, the clinic structure (attributes, e.g., size, and services and staffing), and the client composition of the clinic (sociodemographic and deviance). In this study the clinic was the unit of analysis. The data were analyzed by means of path analysis, for (1) drug free outpatient, nonopiate orientation (DFO-N) and (2) drug free outpatient, opiate orientation (DFO-O). There were 204 DFO-N and 130 DFO-O clinics. The path analytic model proved to be useful for the explanation of clinic retention outcomes. The socioecological variables predicted the types of clients who entered treatment. These in turn along with clinic attributes were significant predictors of clinic retention. Clinic attributes also predicted clinic services and staffing. The results suggested that both clinic variables and client composition variables are important predictors of clinic retention.