A randomized trial comparing day and residential drug abuse treatment: 18-month outcomes

Extending an earlier report of 6-month outcomes, this study reports 12- and 18-month follow-up data for clients (N = 188) entering a therapeutic community drug treatment program who were randomly assigned to day or residential treatment conditions. Outcomes included Addiction Severity Index composite scores and measures of depression, psychiatric symptoms, and social support. Both groups showed significant change over time. The pattern of change indicated decreased problem severity in the 1st 6 months and then maintenance of lowered problem severity. Comparisons between groups indicated greater improvement for residential treatment clients on social problems and psychiatric symptoms but no differences on the remaining outcomes. Although residential treatment may offer some specific advantages, the conclusion here is that improvement among day treatment clients was not significantly different from that of residential treatment clients.