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Thirty‐month relapse trajectory cluster groups among adolescents discharged from out‐patient treatment
Author(s) -
Godley Susan H.,
Dennis Michael L.,
Godley Mark D.,
Funk Rodney R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2004.00860.x
Subject(s) - cannabis , medicine , heroin , cluster (spacecraft) , psychological intervention , substance use , opiate , substance abuse , longitudinal study , pediatrics , psychiatry , drug , receptor , pathology , computer science , programming language
Aims To identify adolescent relapse trajectory groups following discharge from out‐patient substance abuse treatment. Design, setting and participants Adolescents aged 12–18, who were assigned randomly to one of five out‐patient interventions ( n = 563) in four United States communities and followed‐up 3, 6, 9, 12 and 30 months post‐intake. Outcome measures Self‐report measures of days using any alcohol or other drugs (AOD), days of alcohol use, days of cannabis use, days of heavy use, days of crack/cocaine use, days of heroin/opiate use, days AOD use interfered with responsibilities and days in a controlled environment. Findings Adolescents can be grouped empirically into five relapse trajectories over 30 months following out‐patient treatment: (a) low AOD use with limited days in a controlled environment; (b) low AOD use with high days in a controlled environment; (c) moderate/decreasing AOD use; (d) increasing AOD use; and (e) consistently high AOD use. Conclusions There was considerable heterogeneity in the relapse trajectories, varying by the initial response to treatment, the stability (versus increase/decrease) of the response and an interaction with time in a controlled environment. Cannabis and alcohol were the two main substances involved, although the two groups with the poorest trajectories had increasing levels of cocaine, opiate and other substance use at the 30‐month follow‐up. This study demonstrates the chronicity of substance use even among a subgroup of adolescents and the importance of studying more complex longitudinal patterns of recovery.