Addiction severity index profile of persons who reenter treatment for substance use disorders

ABSTRACT

Background: Despite a growing interest in persons with multiple treatment reentries, few studies have defined their clinical profile. The aim of this study was to compare the severity profile of substance use disorder and related problems of persons who reenter treatment with the profile of those who come in for treatment for the first time. Methods: A data bank containing 6651 Addiction Severity Index (ASI) interviews from 3 rehabilitation centers was used for the analyses. Results: All the ASI composite scores were significantly higher among persons who reentered treatment than among those who came for the first time. Conclusion: The results support the hypothesis of a more severe ASI profile and substance use–related problems among persons who reenter treatment compared with those who come for the first time. Consequently, they have greater needs, and the treatment offered should be adjusted accordingly.

KEYWORDS:

• Addiction severity
• clinical profile
• previous treatment episode
• related problems
• treatment need
• treatment reentry

Acknowledgments

We thank Marilou Pelletier for helping us in the presentation of the final manuscript.

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Author contributions

H.S. and S.B. developed the research questions, interpreted data, and organized the results. H.S. conducted the statistical analyses and wrote the manuscript. Both critically reviewed and approved the final manuscript.