Impact of role induction on long-term drug treatment outcomes

In prior research, Katz et al. found that role induction (RI) improved engagement for substance dependent clients relative to standard outpatient treatment orientation. The current study replicates and extends these findings to an examination of long-term outcomes. Substance dependent clients entering outpatient drug-free treatment (N = 353) were randomly assigned to RI or to Standard (ST) orientation followed by routine clinic treatment. Measures of employment, crime, and substance use were collected at intake and at six- and 12-months post-intake. Controlling for baseline differences in substance use, results partially replicated our earlier findings of better engagement for RI, as compared to ST participants; more RI than ST participants attended at least one post-orientation counselling session. RI improved 12-month substance use outcome relative to ST. The potential gain in retention and in reduced substance use at follow-up associated with a single RI session, recommend this strategy for further development and study.