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Abstract
Aims: To identify factors that predict attendance for the start of treatment following assessment, and factors that predict retention in treatment, at a specialist alcohol treatment clinic.
Participants: The sample consisted of 419 consecutive clients (272 male and 147 female) who had attended for assessment over a two‐year period and had chosen out‐patient care. These included 141 who did not attend treatment (non‐starters), 106 who attended only once (starters), and 172 who attended more than one session (retainers).
Design: We recorded factors that previous research or clinical experience suggested might influence attendance, including: demographic factors, clients' support and mental state, substance use and aspects of clinical practice.
Analysis: Univariate analyses and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors predicting whether clients attended the first treatment session and whether they continued to remain in treatment.
Findings: Clients most likely to start treatment following assessment were those who were older, lived with others, drank fewer units of alcohol daily, did not use illegal drugs, had waited a shorter time between assessment and the start of treatment, lived nearer the clinic and made contact with the clinic before the start of treatment. Clients who were most likely to be retained in treatment were also older, had waited a shorter time between assessment and the start of treatment, and had chosen to attend the 6‐week structured day programme rather than the open support sessions.
Conclusions: Clients who were most likely to start treatment were the “less complex” of those who access the clinic.
Strategies to promote engagement of and retention in treatment might include: incorporating more motivational work with clients during initial assessment; telephoning each client before the start of treatment to remind them to attend; and providing more satellite clinics for those clients who have further to travel.