We examined the patient characteristics of 340 subjects in methadone t
reatment to determine if these characteristics could differentiate amo
ng three ''stages'' of work during the past year (stable unemployment,
intermittent work, and stable employment). A multiple discriminant fu
nction analysis was able to classify correctly 14% of the cases beyond
chance. Results of these analyses found lower depression scores, coca
ine abstinence, education, and marital status correlated with stable e
mployment conditions. Interventions designed to change these character
istics may improve employment conditions among methadone patients.