Artikel

Abstract

■ Aim This is the first prospective treatment study of a wide spectrum of treatment programmes for drug abusers in Norway. The aim of this article is to describe client characteristics, treatment compliance and to what extent client characteristics may predict treatment completion. ■ Methods and Data 482 clients who entered 20 programmes during the period 1998–2000 were investigated according to four different treatment types: residential treatment, youth collectives, outpatient psychiatric youth teams, and outpatient maintenance treatment. The following instruments were used: EuropASI, MCMI-II, SCL-25. ■ Results Clients who were recruited to the four types of treatment had partly different backgrounds, the differences being primarily related to age. Clients in the youth collectives, in which compulsory treatment was partly used, completed treatment most often (55%). The retention rate in outpatient maintenance treatment was 66%. The negative predictors for completion of inpatient treatment were personality disorder, three or more previous inpatients stays and 11 or more years with use of syringes, while being 40 years or more was a positive predictor. ■ Conclusions Treatment alone is limited in affecting the psychosocial problems of drug abusers irrespective of the best referral policy and treatment programmes. Maintaining motivation for a change of lifestyle outside of treatment is a political challenge that not only the treatment field should be responsible for.