Postpartum Women in Outpatient Drug Abuse Treatment: Correlates of Retention/completion

This article examines correlates of retention/completion for low-income court-ordered and voluntary postpartum women in two types of outpatient drug abuse treatment: day treatment (an intensive seven-day-a-week, neurobehavioral treatment model program) and traditional outpatient treatment (a conventional five-day-a-week program). Instruments used in this study to assess factors in retention/completion include the Addiction Severity Index, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Hudson's Index of Self-Esteem, the Coping Strategies Inventory, the Social Support Questionnaire, and a Barriers to Treatment measure specifically designed for this study. It was found that the women in this study had relatively normal psychosocial profiles, and that their support systems, while small, were relatively satisfying. Very few psychosocial profile elements were found to be predictors, but social support was marginally related to length of stay in treatment. Program type, infant custody, and number of children in the home appeared to be the strongest predictors of treatment retention/completion.