The influence of coping and depression on abstinence from illicit drug use in methadone-maintained patients

Use of illicit drugs by opioid-dependent patients maintained on methadone undermines the benefits of methadone maintenance treatment. Because supplemental pharmacologic approaches have met with limited success, it is important to identify psychological mechanisms associated with drug use that potentially could contribute to the development of more effective treatments. To investigate this issue, the current study assessed coping and depression in 307 methadone-maintained patients and found a reliance on avoidant coping strategies, most notably by depressed patients. Patients who achieved abstinence following a 12-week coping skills training intervention decreased the use of avoidant coping strategies. Drug use at the 6-month follow-up was related to gains made during treatment, specifically reduced cognitive avoidance, reduced depression, and number of drug-free weeks during treatment.