Psychosocial treatments for cocaine abuse. 12-month treatment outcomes

The 12-month posttreatment outcome results for a randomized clinical trial that tested the effectiveness of various combinations of 4-month psychosocial treatment interventions are reported for 184 clients who used cocaine. Clients primarily used crack (93%), and the majority were African American (95%). Overall, clients exhibited substantial pre-post treatment gains: reduced regular cocaine use, reduced other drug use, reduced regular alcohol use, and reduced involvement in illegal activities. Logistic regression models produced significant odds ratios showing that those who used cocaine regularly during the year after treatment were more likely to have attended fewer treatment sessions, to be female, to be less educated, to have been regular cocaine users prior to treatment, and to have spent fewer days incarcerated during the 12-months after treatment. It was concluded that treatment positively impacted posttreatment gains, and it was suggested that selective tailoring of additional treatment services may produce additional treatment gains.