| dc.description.abstract | The relative merits of in-patient and out-patient treatment of
substance abuse have been widely debated. For severe, chronic
clients, the best form of treatment may be intensive in-patient
care. Less severe clients may fare better with out-patient
treatment.
Regardless of the type of treatment, clients' drop-out rates
are high. Since the client may be three times as likely to be free
from drugs one year later if they complete treatment, serious
attempts need to made to determine the factors affecting client
drop-out.
The research examined this issue by means of an archival
search of client records from the Lakehead Addiction Centre
treatment program at the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital (LPH) in
Thunder Bay, Ontario. The demographic, personality, and social
stability characteristics related to drop-out of clients who had
attended either the in-patient or out-patient program were
examined. Treatment drop-outs were studied for 98
out-patients and 406 in-patients.
This study confirms research which found a high rate of early
attrition from treatment for substance-abusing clients. The
results indicate that treatment completers in either program
differed significantly from non-completers by: patient type
(P<0.05), use of LSD (P<0.01), and treatment mandated (P<0.05).
Out-patients had significantly more completers. This may be due to
the significant differences between in-patient and out-patient attenders. These differences included: social support (P<0.01),
attendance at AA/NA (P<0.01), and maximum drug intake per day or
binge (P<0.05). Natives were found to be significantly more likely
to drop-out of either treatment (P<0.01). | |
