INTERACTION EFFECTS OF CLIENT AND TREATMENT PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS ON RETENTION - AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS USING HIERARCHICAL LINEAR-MODELS

This paper applied a hierarchical linear modeling approach to explore the interaction effects of treatment program and client characteristic s on client retention in treatment for drug users. Program characteris tics included services provision, funding sources, and staff-client ge nder congruence, and client characteristics included gender, age at ad mission, and drug use level prior to admission. The same model was app lied separately to three modalities: residential, methadone maintenanc e, and outpatient drug-free programs. Data were obtained froth 59 trea tment programs and 3,764 of their clients who had discharge records. T he most noteworthy significant interaction effect detected was program 's funding source and client's gender on treatment retention in the ou tpatient drug-free modality. For example, female clients remained less time in the programs that accepted only public funding than in the pr ograms that accepted both public and private funding. Male clients rem ained in the treatment an average of 25.3 fewer days than female clien ts in drug-free programs that only accepted public fund, but stayed ab out the same time as females if the programs received mixed funding.