Addiction severity predictions using client network properties

By statistical analysis of client data it is shown how past or current netw ork information together with other knowledge assesses treatment needs. The main findings. are as follows. The client's previous exposure to addicts i n the family has almost no influence on his or her present contacts with ad dicts in daily life. About 30% of the clients have experienced addicts both in family and among friends, about 30% have only family exposure, about 20 % have neither kind of exposure, and about 20% have no family exposure but have current exposure to addicts. Exposure to addicts in family implies a h igher risk of severe need for professional intervention than no such exposu re. For the clients with no family exposure but with current exposure to ad dicts there is, somewhat surprisingly, a lower risk than for the other thre e categories of clients. This effect seems to be mainly because the psychia tric status of these clients is somewhat better than for those in the other three categories. The effect disappears if we look solely for drug addicti on intervention needs; then there is a clear increase in relative treatment needs for the categories with previous or present addiction exposure compa red to those without.