Multiple predictors of substance-abusing women's treatment and life outcomes: a prospective longitudinal study

The purpose of this study was to identify client factors that predict treatment and life outcomes of women enrolled in outpatient (OP) and residential (RT) substance abuse treatment. Subjects were 95 women who enrolled in OP or RT from September 1994 through February 1997, remained in treatment a minimum of 3 months, and completed a 12-month assessment protocol. Factor analyses and a series of multiple regression procedures were conducted to examine whether biopsychosocial characteristics at intake predicted treatment outcomes and life outcomes. The results indicated that client intake characteristics explained 27-34% of the variance in OP treatment outcomes and 40-63% of the variance for women in RT. The findings suggest that prediction of women's life outcomes is complex, differs for women in RT and OP treatment, and consists of multiple factors. These risk and protective factors include social support, daily stressors, life satisfaction, partner abuse, substance abuse by self and significant others, psychiatric history, chronic medical conditions, childbirth history, childcare responsibilities, and treatment engagement.