The Combined Effects of Treatment Intensity, Self-Help Groups and Patient Attributes on Drinking Outcomes

Abstract

Better understanding of the diverse factors that predict alcoholism treatment outcomes is essential to improving treatment strategies. Patients accepted for treatment at a multimodality program were interviewed and followed-up at three months and one year after admission. The study tested a set of hypotheses relating to the effects on drinking outcomes of treatment modality, modality matching, treatment retention, aftercare, self-help group participation and patient attributes at admission. Drinking frequency diminished substantially between baseline and the two follow-ups. Outcomes for inpatient were better than for outpatient treatment in bivariate analysis, but outcomes for these modalities were equal after adjusting for the effect of patient-treatment mismatching. Aftercare treatment, time in treatment for outpatients, community 12-Step group participation, and several patient attributes such as motivation for change and psychiatric severity significantly predicted drinking outcomes at one or both follow-ups. Clinical implications of the results are discussed.

Keywords:

• alcoholism treatment
• ASAM Criteria
• treatment outcomes
• 12 Steps
• treatment matching