Gains in Employment Status Are Associated With Lower Methamphetamine Use Frequency at Outpatient Specialty Treatment...

Employment can provide structure and economic opportunity. We examined whether changes in employment status from treatment admission to discharge co-occurred with changes in methamphetamine use frequency over the same period.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Treatment Episode Dataset-Discharges (2017-2022) provided the data. Methamphetamine use frequency (daily use, some use, and no use in the past month) and employment status (full-time, part-time, unemployed, and not in the labor force) were reported at treatment admission and discharge. Changes in methamphetamine use frequency were recorded as a reduction or no reduction. Logistic regression modeled reduced methamphetamine use frequency as the dependent variable. Analyses included employment status at admission, discharge, and their interaction. An adjusted model estimated marginal probabilities of reduced methamphetamine use at discharge.

There were 89,015 first treatment admissions. Individuals who gained full-time employment showed the greatest reductions in methamphetamine use frequency (75.7% [95% CI: 72.9-78.4] and 73.9% [95% CI: 72.2-75.6]), compared with 25.5% (95% CI: 25.1-26.0) among those who remained unemployed. More people completed treatment in the reduction group (45.2% vs 22.6%).

Results indicate that gains in employment status during treatment co-occurred with reduced methamphetamine use frequency. This is consistent with prior research linking stable employment to improved health and recovery outcomes. Integrating employment‑support services into outpatient treatment may complement existing interventions and support patient-centered goals. Future prospective studies are needed to establish temporal ordering between employment transitions and methamphetamine use changes and to evaluate employment-support strategies as an adjunct to treatment.