Self-help group attendance and participation among cocaine dependent patients

The authors examined frequency and patterns of self-help group attendance a nd active participation over a 6-month period among 411 patients receiving treatment in the NIDA Collaborative Cocaine Treatment Study. Nearly two-thi rds of patients attended at least one self-help group, and nearly all of th ese actively participated. Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous mee tings were attended most frequently. Statistical analyses included chi squa re, one-way analyses of variance, and cluster techniques. While patterns of attendance were relatively consistent over time, findings suggest that a t reatment emphasizing the importance of self-help groups is likely to encour age more self-help group attendance and participation over time. (C) 2000 E lsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.