Citation

Satre DD, Chi FW, Mertens JR, Weisner CM. J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 2012; 73(3): 459-468.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

22456251

PMCID

PMC3316718

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age, common life transitions, treatment, and social support on outcomes 5-9 years after alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment intake. Method: Participants were patients from a large outpatient AOD treatment program in an integrated health plan. There were 1,951 participants interviewed at intake, of whom 1,646 (84%) completed one or more telephone follow-up interviews at 5, 7, and 9 years. Measures included AOD use based on the Addiction Severity Index; treatment; and changes in marital, employment, and health status in the years between each follow-up. We compared participants by age group (18-39, 40-54, and ≥55 years old at intake) and examined factors (time invariant and time varying) associated with outcomes at 5, 7, and 9 years by fitting mixed-effects logistic random intercept models. Results: Changes in marital, employment, and health status varied significantly by age. Factors associated with remission across Years 5-9 included being in the middle-aged versus younger group (p < .001); female gender (p < .001); not losing a partner to separation, divorce, or death (p < .001); not experiencing a decline in health (p = .021); having any close friends supportive of recovery (p < .001); and not having any close friends who encourage AOD use (p < .001). Additional predictors, including employment changes, varied by drug versus alcohol abstinence outcome measures. Conclusions: Negative life transitions vary by age and are associated with worse outcomes. Older age and social support are associated with long-term AOD remission and abstinence. Findings inform treatment strategies to enhance recovery across the life span. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 73, 459-468, 2012).

Language: en