Do Treatment Services for Drug Users in Outpatient Drug-Free Treatment Programs Affect Employment and Crime?

Abstract

Using the 1992–1995 National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study data, we employ principal components analysis to create treatment service factors based on both patient self-reports and treatment record extracts. We included these factors in multivariate models for 1,136 outpatient drug-free treatment patients to estimate the relationship between services and post-treatment employment and crime. Although our models indicated some significant predictors of employment and crime, the overall effects of services were generally insignificant. We conclude that either services are unrelated to outcomes or if they are related then we are not measuring the key aspects of service provision that may be important. The study's limitations are noted.