Premium
A RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF EMPLOYMENT‐BASED REINFORCEMENT OF COCAINE ABSTINENCE IN INJECTION DRUG USERS
Author(s) -
Silverman Kenneth,
Wong Conrad J.,
Needham Mick,
Diemer Karly N.,
Knealing Todd,
CroneTodd Darlene,
Fingerhood Michael,
Nuzzo Paul,
Kolodner Kenneth
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.2007.40-387
Subject(s) - abstinence , reinforcement , urinalysis , psychology , randomized controlled trial , contingency management , methadone , token economy , urine , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , intervention (counseling)
High‐magnitude and long‐duration abstinence reinforcement can promote drug abstinence but can be difficult to finance. Employment may be a vehicle for arranging high‐magnitude and long‐duration abstinence reinforcement. This study determined if employment‐based abstinence reinforcement could increase cocaine abstinence in adults who inject drugs and use cocaine during methadone treatment. Participants could work 4 hr every weekday in a workplace where they could earn about $10.00 per hour in vouchers; they were required to provide routine urine samples. Participants who attended the workplace and provided cocaine‐positive urine samples during the initial 4 weeks were invited to work 26 weeks and were randomly assigned to an abstinence‐and‐work ( n = 28) or work‐only ( n = 28) group. Abstinence‐and‐work participants had to provide urine samples showing cocaine abstinence to work and maintain maximum pay. Work‐only participants could work independent of their urinalysis results. Abstinence‐and‐work participants provided more ( p = .004; OR = 5.80, 95% CI = 2.03–16.56) cocaine‐negative urine samples (29%) than did work‐only participants (10%). Employment‐based abstinence reinforcement can increase cocaine abstinence.