Retention and patient engagement models for different treatment modalities in DATOS

A model to explain treatment retention in terms of process components--therapeutic involvement and session attributes for the 1st month--and patient background factors were tested in long-term residential (LTR), outpatient drug free (ODF), and outpatient methadone (OMT) treatments. The data was collected in the national Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies (DATOS), and included 1362 patients in LTR, 866 in ODF, and 981 in OMT programs. Structural equation models showed there were positive reciprocal effects between therapeutic involvement and session attributes in all three modalities, and these variables had direct positive effects on treatment retention. Motivation at intake was a strong determinant of therapeutic involvement. Other patient background factors were significantly related to retention, including pretreatment depression, alcohol dependence, legal pressure, and frequency of cocaine use.