SPECIALIZED THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY PROGRAM FOR FEMALE ADDICTS

• NCJ Number: 62929
• Author(s): W R CUSKEY; A H RICHARDSON; L H BERGEN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): H81 DA-01698
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: Odyssey House
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FINDINGS FROM THE MABON PARENTS' DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM (MPDP) OF NEW YORK, A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SPECIALIZED THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY APPROACH FOR DRUG ADDICTED WOMEN, ARE PRESENTED.

Abstract

THE MPDP RESIDENTIAL FACILITY HAD THE CAPACITY TO HOUSE 40 WOMEN AND 40 OF THEIR DEPENDENT CHILDREN. DURING THE COURSE OF THE 3-YEAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT, 304 WOMEN WERE TREATED. IT WAS THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE MPDP PROGRAM THAT TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION COULD BEST BE ACHIEVED IN A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY, WHERE THE CLIENT IS RELATIVELY INSULATED IN A CLOSED COMMUNITY, AND CONTINUOUS AND MULTIPLE HELPING STRATEGIES ARE APPLIED IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. PRIMARY PROGRAM OBJECTIVES WERE TO PROVIDE NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEEDS OF FEMALE ADDICTS AND THEIR CHILDREN AND TO IDENTIFY THE MOST EFFECTIVE TREATMENT METHODS. EVALUATION EFFORTS FOCUSED ON COHORT GROUP ANALYSIS AND FOLLOWUP GROUP ANLAYSIS. A BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT RESEARCH DESIGN WAS UTILIZED AND DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM THE CLIENTS DURING AND AFTER PARTICIPATION. PRETREATMENT DATA REVEALED THAT MPDP WOMEN HAD CONSIDERABLE EXPOSURE TO PERSONAL TRAUMA, FAMILY DISORGANIZATION, AND EARLY ADDICTIVE EXPERIENCES. COHORT GROUP ANALYSIS FOCUSED ON THE NUMBER OF MONTHS A WOMAN WAS EXPOSED TO THE MPDP TREATMENT AND THE ASSOCIATED CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR THAT OCCURED. ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT PATIENTS WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND WERE LESS LIKELY TO BECOME INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES THE LONGER THEY WERE EXPOSED TO MPDP. IN ADDITION, GREATER MPDP EXPOSURE RESULTED IN EMPLOYMENT AND POSITIVE ATTITUDINAL CHANGES FOR THE CLIENTS. PROFILES ON THE DEPENDENT CHILDREN SHOWED THAT THEY WERE ONLY SLIGHTLY BELOW THE DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS OF NORMAL CHILDREN. FOLLOWUP GROUP ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT 84 PERCENT OF THE CLIENTS WERE NOT USING DRUGS, 87 PERCENT HAD NOT ENGAGED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, BUT ONLY 13 PERCENT WERE INVOLVED IN EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. GROUP COUNSELING WAS REPORTED TO BE THE PRIMARY SERVICE ACTIVITY PARTICIPATED IN; REFERRALS FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE WERE VIEWED AS USEFUL FOR A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE CLIENTS. TABULAR DATA AND A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED IN THE EVALUATION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LWM).