PERINATAL SUBSTANCE-ABUSERS - FACTORS INFLUENCING TREATMENT RETENTION

This study investigated the association between two demographic and tw o psychological variables and treatment retention for 65 perinatal sub stance abusers. Subjects who lived in the community while attending da y treatment were 6.125 times more likely to drop out than subjects who lived in a program-operated shelter (p <.0001). An interaction was fo und for pregnancy status and antisocial personality disorder (p <.0478 ). Subjects who were both pregnant and antisocial were 4.876 times mor e likely to remain in treatment than those who were neither pregnant n or antisocial. Degree of ''treatment resistance,'' measured by the MMP I Negative Treatment Indicators (TRT) Scale, did not predict dropout. These findings indicate that supportive housing can play an important role in preventing dropout for perinatal substance abusers. Additional ly, pregnancy may present a ''window'' of opportunity for treating a h ard to reach population, drug abusing women with comorbid ASP. (C) 199 7 Elsevier Science Inc.