Multiple predictors of illicit drug use in methadone maintenance clients

Abstract

Many drug users in methadone maintenance treatment continue to use a variety of illicit drugs. The present study tested a hierarchical, multidimensional model to predict concurrent substance use in methadone maintenance clients. The model incorporated measures of demographics, personality, coping, motivation, and methadone beliefs. Subjects were 94 male and female injecting drug users in methadone treatment. Using multiple regression, results showed that a model incorporating all the predictors accounted for 51 % of the variance in self-reported drug use. The study highlights the importance of using multidimensional models to study the complex factors involved in drug use.