Treatment Retention in Opioid Dependent Clients Receiving Medication-Assisted Treatment: Six-Month Rate and Baseline Correlates

Background: In the current opioid overdose epidemic, treatment retention among clients receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid dependence is a significant and growing concern among treatment providers, policymakers, and researchers. Methods: We examined a sample of clients enrolled...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance use & misuse 2021, Vol.56 (7), p.1018-1023
Main Authors: Fendrich, Michael, Becker, Jessica, Ives, Melissa, Rodis, Eleni, Marín, Martha
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attrition
Clients
Clinical outcomes
Cocaine
cocaine/crack use
Crack cocaine
Disorders
Drug abuse
Drug addiction
Drug use
Drugs
Ethnicity
Medical screening
Medication assisted treatment
Narcotics
opioid use disorder
Opioids
Policy making
Race
Recovery
Regression analysis
Retention
Substance abuse
Substance abuse treatment
Teams
Tests
Treatment needs
Treatment outcomes
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: In the current opioid overdose epidemic, treatment retention among clients receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid dependence is a significant and growing concern among treatment providers, policymakers, and researchers. Methods: We examined a sample of clients enrolled in a federally funded MAT expansion program implemented in four sites in Connecticut. Program participants received MAT for their opioid use disorders (OUDs). All program sites utilized a person in recovery from OUD (a recovery support coach, RSC) as part of the treatment team. By performing bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression models, we evaluated the association of 6-month retention and program site, gender, age, race/ethnicity, and past month substance use. Results: At 6-month follow-up, 58.9% of participants were classified as "retained." Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participants who were older, reported no past month cocaine/crack use, or reported any illegal drug use other than cocaine/crack, were significantly more likely to be retained in treatment at follow-up. Conclusions: Retention rates were relatively high in these Connecticut sites compared to those examined in previous literature. Findings suggest that efforts for enhancing retention and successful treatment outcomes need to consider and potentially address the unique needs, problems, and risks of younger clients and clients with crack/cocaine involvement. The importance of drug use screening for those entering MAT is underscored. Future research needs to explore how levels of client involvement in adjunctive therapies may impact their retention.
ISSN:1082-6084
1532-2491
DOI:10.1080/10826084.2021.1906276