Sex differences in variables affecting short-term success in substance use disorder treatment

Abstract

Because of the stigma surrounding patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and difficulties with follow-up, data on outcomes is limited. We explore real-world data from a prospectively collected database to determine characteristics that contribute to the completion of acute treatment. Our cohort consisted of data from 1039 patients treated at a single facility. Success was defined as successful discharge from the program. Failure was defined as relapse or signing out against medical advice during treatment. We examined 43 distinct features collected at time of treatment using multivariate analysis. In the total cohort and both sexes, longer length of stay (p ≤ 0.01) was linked to treatment failure. When we examined the cohort by sex, variables associated with success and failure differed between groups. Among females, goal-directed thinking (p ≤ 0.05) correlated with treatment success. Taking unnecessary risks (p < 0.05), having a detailed suicide plan (p ≤ 0.001), and constricted thinking (p ≤ 0.01) predicted treatment failure. In males, prior arrest for driving under the influence (p ≤ 0.05), and presence of phobias, paranoias, and delusions (p ≤ 0.05) were associated with treatment failure. Identifying patients prone to acute therapy failure may guide more personalized treatment, thereby increasing success rates. When considering SUD treatments for patients, we must stratify based on patient characteristics.

Keywords:

• Addiction
• substance use disorder
• addiction recovery
• relapse
• substance use disorder treatment
• sex

Disclosure statement

Dr. Julie Pilitsis receives grant support from Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott, NIH 2R01CA166379, NIH R01EB030324, and NIH U44NS115111. She is the medical advisor for Aim Medical Robotics and has stock equity. Elie Levy is a founder, stock owner, and Chief Technology Officer of Sunwave Health, a healthcare software company that provides electronic medical records to substance abuse treatment centers.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.