Biomedical subjects

R T Spence

Publications and source records attributed to R T Spence.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

An experimental test of retention in residential and outpatient programs.

Previous studies of residential and outpatient drug treatment programs have found that retention is higher in residential than in outpatient programs. This study attempts to verify previous findings by conducting an experiment that controls for ecological, self-selection, and program content biases. The Houston Recovery Campus is a research-focused, multiple-provider drug treatment facility for the indigent of Harris County, Texas. During the study period, 646 applicants were randomly assigned to two comparable 28-day programs. The first program was a residential program; the second was an outpatient day treatment program. Twenty-eight day retention rates were significantly higher for the residential program (76%) compared to the day treatment program (64%).

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effectiveness of adjunct therapies in crack cocaine treatment.

Although intensive outpatient therapy is recommended for treatment of cocaine, psychosocial characteristics associated with crack cocaine abuse are also implicated in attrition from outpatient programs. Acupuncture, medications, and brainwave therapy (biofeedback), have all been used to encourage treatment retention and drug use outcomes. The effectiveness of three adjunct therapies in improving retention and drug use outcomes in intensive outpatient cocaine treatment was tested in a primarily young, indigent African-American sample of crack cocaine users at a community hospital in a low-income, high drug use neighborhood in Houston. Subjects were assigned to receive either neurobehavioral treatment alone or neurobehavioral with one of three adjunct therapies. These included acupuncture, anticraving medication, or brainwave therapy. Comparative results indicated that dosage of any adjunct therapy was associated with days in treatment and standard treatment sessions attended, and that standard treatment sessions attended was associated with negative urinalysis results at follow-up. None of the adjunct therapies were directly associated with drug use outcomes.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The trajectory of client progress. A longitudinal pilot study.

Successful nonchemical drug treatment is a transformative experience: client change is the goal of treatment. Two domains in which programs intend to facilitate change are emotional well-being and the therapeutic relationship. Little previous research has addressed the question of what changes clients in drug treatment actually undergo while in treatment. This article presents results from a pilot longitudinal study of clients in two short-term drug treatment programs in Houston, TX. Results showed measurable increases in self-esteem and connection to counselor and decreases in anxiety and depression over the course of treatment for clients who completed treatment. Program graduates and early withdrawals showed distinctly different patterns of progress as measured by emotional and relationship scales.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A pilot study of client progress in short-term drug abuse treatment.

This paper is a pilot study of client progress in two short-term (23-day) drug abuse treatment programs. Client progress is defined as those changes in cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and social support resources that are th proximate goals of drug abuse treatment. In this study, client progress was measured by changes in cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and social support domains over the course of treatment. This pilot study showed that client progress can be detected in short-term treatment and can be related to indicators of the quantity and quality of treatment. In general, results showed that both relationships and emotional well-being changed over the course of treatment. Cognitive functioning variables did not generally change over time, nor were they related to indicators of treatment quality. Evidence in this pilot study suggests that more attention needs to be given to the relational and emotional aspects of the drug abuse treatment process.

Adolescent↗