Nicole R. Schultz

Retention in medication-assisted treatment for opiate dependence: A systematic review

ABSTRACT Retention in medication-assisted treatment among opiate-dependent patients is associated with better outcomes. This systematic review (55 articles, 2010–2014) found wide variability in retention rates (i.e., 19%–94% at 3-month, 46%–92% at 4-month, 3%–88% at 6-month, and 37%–91% at 12-month follow-ups in randomized controlled trials), and identified medication and behavioral therapy factors associated with retention. As expected, patients who received naltrexone or buprenorphine had better retention rates than patients who received a placebo or no medication. Consistent with prior research, methadone was associated with better retention than buprenorphine/naloxone. And, heroin-assisted treatment was associated with better retention than methadone among treatment-refractory patients. Only a single study examined retention in medication-assisted treatment for longer than 1 year, and studies of behavioral therapies may have lacked statistical power; thus, studies with longer-term follow-ups and larger samples are needed. Contingency management showed promise to increase retention, but other behavioral therapies to increase retention, such as supervision of medication consumption, or additional counseling, education, or support, failed to find differences between intervention and control conditions. Promising behavioral therapies to increase retention have yet to be identified.

Patient and Program Factors that Bridge the Detoxification-Treatment Gap: A Structured Evidence Review

Although completion of detoxification (detox) and a successful transition from detox to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and/or mutual-help groups are associated with better SUD outcomes, many patients do not complete detox or do not receive SUD care following detox. The purpose of this structured evidence review, summarizing data extraction on a yield of 26 articles, is to identify patient, program, and system factors associated with the outcomes of completion of alcohol detox and successful transitions from alcohol detox to SUD treatment and mutual-help group participation. The review found wide variability among studies in the rates at which patients complete a detox episode (45 to 95%) and enter SUD treatment or mutual-help groups after detox (14 to 92%). Within program factors, behavioral practices that contribute to both detox completion and transitioning to SUD care after detox entail involving the patients family and utilizing motivational-based approaches. Such practices should be targeted at younger patients, who are less likely to complete detox. Although more studies using a randomized controlled trial design are needed, the evidence suggests that barriers to detox completion and transition to SUD care can be overcome to improve patient outcomes.

Veterans’ Service Utilization Patterns After Alcohol and Opioid Detoxification in VHA Care

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine detoxification-related service utilization in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). METHODS VHA data for 266,908 patients were used to examine rates and predictors of receiving detoxification, attending post-detoxification appointments, and entering specialty treatment. Multilevel, mixed-effects logistic regressions were used to examine associations between patient and facility characteristics and service utilization. RESULTS Nationally, 8.0% of VHA patients with alcohol or opiate dependence received detoxification in fiscal year 2013 (facility range=.1%-20.4%); 43.1% of detoxified patients received follow-up (11.1%-76.4%), and 49.9% entered specialty treatment (13.0%-77.2%). In adjusted analyses, detoxification was more likely among male, younger, white, and homeless patients with documented alcohol or opiate disorders and comorbid general medical conditions but without previous addiction treatment. Detoxification was also more likely in facilities with fewer vacant addiction therapist positions. Follow-up and specialty treatments were more likely among younger, healthier homeless patients with previous addiction treatment and a documented alcohol use disorder. CONCLUSIONS Detoxification-related service utilization was highly variable across the VHA. Interventions are needed to optimize use.

A systematic review of the free-pour assessment: Implications for research, assessment and intervention.

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major concern. Alcohol consumption data are typically collected via self-report questionnaires. However, research has suggested that individuals are unable to identify a standard drink size and that their self-report may be influenced by certain environmental conditions, calling into question the reliability and validity of self-report. The free-pour is an objective measure that may provide a clearer picture of current alcohol consumption trends, individuals’ knowledge of standard drink sizes, and accuracy of self-report. This systematic review of existing free-pour assessment methods suggests that individuals are unable to identify and pour standard drink sizes, with the largest discrepancies occurring for liquor and wine pours and pours into larger and wider glasses. Additional variables that appear to influence pouring behavior are gender, pouring location (e.g., home or laboratory), pouring task (e.g., selecting a line or physically pouring), and drinking history; however, additional research is necessary to better understand the effects of these variables on pouring behavior. These findings have important implications for the accuracy of self-report measures, as well as clinical implications for alcohol use screenings, alcohol education courses, and brief interventions for alcohol use. The systematic review concludes with recommendations for practical applications and future research of the free-pour assessment.

Evaluation of pour training procedures for college students.

We assessed the effects of (a) stimulus fading, (b) verbal feedback, and (c) superimposition training on college students’ skill acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of accurate pours of a standard serving of beer (12 oz). Participants were 18 college students who failed to pour within 10% of a standard serving of beer (less than 10.75 oz or greater than 13.25 oz) during baseline assessment. Thirteen participants were assigned to 1 of 3 training methods (verbal feedback, stimulus fading, or superimposition) and were assessed immediately following training and at 1-week and 30-day follow-ups. Five participants were included in a control group. Compared with the control group, all 3 training methods were effective in improving the accuracy of college students’ pours of standard servings immediately following training; most participants showed skill maintenance and generalization at 1-week follow-up. About half of the participants, particularly those that received 2 types of training, showed skill maintenance and generalization at 30-day follow-ups. Results support the use of pour training in conjunction with 1 or more specific feedback training strategies as an important component of university alcohol education.

Diversion of prescription stimulants among college students: An initial investigation of injunctive norms☆

Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) is an increasing problem among the college student population. Despite recent increases in stimulant prescriptions, little research has examined diversion of prescription stimulants among college students. The purpose of the current exploratory study was to compare normative beliefs about the frequency and motives of NMUPS among a college student sample. Participants were 121 college students who reported having a current prescription for a prescription stimulant. Participants completed online surveys and reported occasions of diversion behavior along with ratings of perceived approval for NMUPS and associated motives. Participants with a history of diversion were more likely to rate their close friends as more approving of more frequent NMUPS, and more approving of various motives for NMUPS. Perceived approval of NMUPS and NMUPS motives among parents and typical university students was similar across diversion groups, with parents and university students being rated as more approving of NMUPS for educational purposes. These findings extend the use of social norms theory to a new behavior while adding to our understanding how those who divert their medication differ from those who do not. Future studies should seek to establish a causal relationship between perceived approval for NMUPS and diversion behaviors. These findings also suggest that future research should focus on the feasibility and impact of social norms intervention for NMUPS and medication diversion.

Dually Diagnosed Patients with Arrests for Violent and Nonviolent Offenses: Two-Year Treatment Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to examine the history of arrests among dually diagnosed patients entering treatment, compare groups with different histories on use of treatment and mutual-help groups and functioning, at intake to treatment and six-month, one-year, and two-year follow-ups, and examine correlates and predictors of legal functioning at the study endpoint. At treatment intake, 9.2% of patients had no arrest history, 56.3% had been arrested for nonviolent offenses only, and 34.5% had been arrested for violent offenses. At baseline, the violent group had used the most outpatient psychiatric treatment and reported poorer functioning (psychiatric, alcohol, drug, employment, and family/social). Both arrest groups had used more inpatient/residential treatment and had more mutual-help group participation than the no-arrest group. The arrest groups had higher likelihood of substance use disorder treatment or mutual-help group participation at follow-ups. Generally, all groups were comparable on functioning at follow-ups (with baseline functioning controlled). With baseline arrest status controlled, earlier predictors of more severe legal problems at the two-year follow-up were more severe psychological, family/social, and drug problems. Findings suggest that dually diagnosed patients with a history of arrests for violent offenses may achieve comparable treatment outcomes to those of patients with milder criminal histories.

Criminal Typology of Veterans Entering Substance Abuse Treatment

Criminal justice involvement among veterans is a critical and timely concern, yet little is known about criminal histories and clinical characteristics among veterans seeking treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). The present study examined criminal typology, clinical characteristics, treatment utilization, and 12-step mutual-help group (MHG) participation among veterans (N = 332) at intake to SUD treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and 6 months and 1 year post-intake. Cluster analysis yielded three types of criminal histories mild-(78.9%), moderate (13.6%), and severe (7.5%)-distinguished by type of offense, number of convictions, and number of months incarcerated. At intake, participants with mild criminal histories reported more alcohol problems and fewer legal and employment problems than participants with moderate and severe criminal histories. Participants with severe criminal histories were most likely to attend a 12-step MHG meeting in the year post-intake, but all groups had high attendance. When only participants who had attended at least one meeting in the year post-intake were compared, participants with mild criminal histories worked more steps and were more involved in 12-step practices. All groups improved between baseline and follow-up and did not differ at follow-ups on substance use or other clinical outcomes. Multiple regressions identified treatment utilization and MHG attendance, but not baseline criminal history, as significant predictors of improved substance use problem severity at follow-up. Outpatient treatment and 12-step MHG attendance appear to be important components of recovery for veterans with varying criminal histories. Clinicians in SUD treatment programs should screen for criminal histories at treatment intake to ensure appropriate treatment planning.

Criminogenic needs, substance use, and offending among rural stimulant users.

There is a need to understand the determinants of both substance use and criminal activity in rural areas to design appropriate treatment interventions for these linked problems. The present study drew on a predominant model used to assess and treat offenders—the risk–need–responsivity (RNR) model—to examine risk factors for substance use and criminal activity in a rural drug using sample. This study extends the RNR model’s focus on offenders to assessing rural-dwelling individuals using stimulants (N = 462). We examined substance use and criminal justice outcomes at 6-month (91%) and 3-year (79%) follow-ups, and used generalized estimating equations to examine the extent to which RNR criminogenic need factors at baseline predicted outcomes at follow-ups. Substance use and criminal justice outcomes improved at 6 months, and even more at 3 years, postbaseline. As expected, higher risk was associated with poorer outcomes. Antisocial personality patterns and procriminal attitudes at baseline predicted poorer legal and drug outcomes measured at subsequent follow-ups. In contrast, less connection to antisocial others and fewer work difficulties predicted lower alcohol problem severity, but more frequent alcohol use. Engagement in social-recreational activities was associated with fewer subsequent arrests and less severe alcohol and drug problems. The RNR model’s criminogenic need factors predicted drug use and crime-related outcomes among rural residents. Services adapted to rural settings that target these factors, such as telehealth and other technology-based resources, may hasten improvement on both types of outcomes among drug users.

Pour Convergence: College Students' Definitions and Free-Poured Volumes of Standard Alcohol Servings.

We examined the correspondence between college students’ (N = 192, 71% women) definitions of free-pours and their free-poured volumes of beer, wine, and liquor. Participants’ mean beer definitions and free-pours were positively correlated; participants’ mean wine and liquor definitions were larger than their free-pours, which were fairly accurate. Contrary to what the aggregate mean values indicated, fewer than half of the participants accurately free-poured a standard volume of beer, wine, or liquor (37.4%, 35.1%, and 22.2%, respectively) or provided an accurate definition of beer (45.8%); similar to the aggregate data, few participants provided accurate definitions of standard serving of wine (12.2%) or liquor (12.8%) Instead, a majority of participants’ definitions and free-pours were well over or under a standard serving. For all three types of alcohol, there was little correspondence between each individual participant’s definitions and his or her free-poured volumes. These data suggest analyses of individual data points may provide information important for data collection, prevention, and intervention strategies.