The Effects of Employment Interventions on Addiction Treatment Outcomes: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Employment is a goal for many people in recovery from substance use disorders, and might protect against relapse. Interventions that use employment to promote recovery outcomes are well-studied among individuals with serious mental illness, but less is known about the outcomes of such interventions for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. Therefore, we searched the literature for published studies that describe the effects of employment interventions on substance abuse treatment outcomes for persons recovering from substance use disorders. Twelve peer-reviewed studies were identified. Although employment interventions varied greatly across the studies, 11 of 12 studies demonstrated a positive relationship between employment interventions and substance use treatment outcomes. This review suggests that employment might be an effective relapse prevention measure, and offers possible opportunities for innovative programming in addiction treatment settings.

KEYWORDS:

• abstinence
• addiction
• employment
• literature review
• recovery
• substance use
• treatment
• work

Notes

¹ Given the diversity of employment interventions identified and substantial variation in study methods, design, and rigor, we did not feel a meta-analysis would be beneficial at this time.