Contingency management in outpatient methadone treatment: a meta-analysis

A meta-analysis was conducted on contingency management interventions in ou tpatient methadone treatment settings. The outcome measure of interest was drug use during treatment, as detected through urinalysis. The results conf irm that contingency management is effective in reducing supplemental drug use for these patients. The analysis of behavioral interventions yielded an overall effect size (r) of 0.25 based on 30 studies. Significant moderator s of outcomes included type of reinforcement provided, time to reinforcemen t delivery, the drug targeted for behavioral change, number of urine specim ens collected per week, and type of subject assignment. These factors repre sent important considerations for reducing drug use during treatment. (C) 2 000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.