Novelty seeking as a predictor of treatment retention for heroin dependentcocaine users

This study examined the relationship between novelty seeking and treatment retention among heroin dependent cocaine users. Participants were treated w ith buprenorphine maintenance and contingency management. The Tridimensiona l Personality Questionnaire's (TPQ) Novelty Seeking scale was administered to 68 participants prior to buprenorphine induction. Demographics, mood and anxiety disorders, antisocial personality disorder, and substance use were also assessed. Variables with significant relationships with overall reten tion were entered into a logistic regression analysis. In addition, using a survival analysis, all variables with significant relationships with time to drop-out were entered into a multivariate proportional hazards regressio n with time dependent covariates. Results demonstrated that although high n ovelty seekers, in comparison to low novelty seekers, were more likely to d rop-out by the end of treatment, they had higher retention rates during the early phases of treatment. It is suggested that buprenorphine and continge ncy management were viewed by participants as novel treatment components an d thus facilitated high novelty seekers' success early in treatment. If rep licated, results suggest that inclusion of novel treatment components might facilitate retention among this at-risk group. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science I reland Ltd. All rights reserved.