Cc. Thornton et al., PATIENT-TREATMENT MATCHING IN SUBSTANCE-ABUSE - DRUG-ADDICTION SEVERITY, Journal of substance abuse treatment, 15(6), 1998, pp. 505-511
In this study, a mixed group of 60 substance-dependent patients were r
andomly assigned to 12 weeks of treatment in either a high-structure,
behaviorally oriented (HSB) or a low-structure, facilitative (LSF) ind
ividual counseling style. We tested the hypothesis that patients with
a more severe pretreatment drug problem will realize greater treatment
benefit in HSB counseling, while those with a less severe problem wil
l benefit more in the LSF approach. Six counselors provided the treatm
ents in a counterbalanced design that controlled for possible differen
ces in counselor effectiveness. Treatment benefit comparisons with res
pect to the counselors' posttreatment ratings, the number of counselin
g sessions attended, reduction in problem severity, and substance use
during treatment were consistently in the hypothesized direction. Thes
e findings provide at least partial support for the notion that treatm
ent benefit for substance abuse patients can be improved through appro
priate patient-treatment matching on the basis of addiction severity.
Published by Elsevier Science Inc.