A survival analysis of communal-living, self-help, addiction recovery participants

We examined individual and group characteristics associated with the duration of community involvement (i.e., length of residence) in 11 Illinois Oxford Houses for 129 male recovering addicts. Survival analyses indicated that the best predictor of duration of community involvement from demographic items was age (i.e., older age and older age of fellow residents were associated with being more likely to continue residence). Among psychological measures, the best survival predictor was lack of pessimism of the future. Although the relationship between longer length of residence and treatment outcomes are complex, because it is often difficult to keep people involved in treatment programs, knowledge that we can gain about those factors that might lead to greater lengths of stay are of importance.