PREDICTORS OF PARTICIPATION IN AFTERCARE SESSIONS AND SELF-HELP GROUPS FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE-ABUSE

Objective: The goals of this study were to identify predictors of grea ter participation in aftercare treatment sessions and self-help groups during the first 3 months following completion of a 4-week intensive outpatient rehabilitation (IOP) program. Method: The subjects were 138 male veterans who met DSM-III-R criteria for lifetime diagnoses of bo th alcohol and cocaine dependence (n = 67), alcohol depen dence only ( n = 48) or cocaine dependence only(n = 23); completed an IOP program; and expressed a desire to enter a formal aftercare program. Analyses e xamined relationships between predictor variables from five different domains and number of aftercare sessions and self-help groups attended in the last week of each month of the follow-up period. Results: Of t he many potential predictor variables that were examined, only remissi on from cocaine and alcohol dependence during IOP and higher AIDS risk behavior scores in the prior 6 months contributed independently to th e prediction of greater participation in aftercare. Further analyses i dentified several variables that were differential predictors of parti cipation in individualized relapse prevention aftercare versus standar d 12-step focused group aftercare. More years of cocaine use, greater current legal problems and a lack of current alcohol dependence predic ted greater self-help participation at the level of a trend. Conclusio ns: The achievement of remission from substance use dependence during IOP may be an important criterion for moving to the next level of care . However, the results of the present study also point to the need far an increased focus on factors present during the course of aftercare in future studies of retention in aftercare following outpatient rehab ilitation.