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Follow-Up Contact Bias in Evaluation of Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

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Abstract

This study examined the problem of follow-up contact bias in evaluation of substance abuse treatment programs using administrative data sets. Completed discharges in Iowa were compared to clients contacted 6 months after treatment. The percent of clients reporting no substance use doubled between admission to treatment and follow-up. Unemployment, arrests, and number of days of work or school missed declined. However, clients included in the follow-up sample were significantly different in terms of risk factors for adverse outcomes. The authors conclude that improvements in social functioning 6 months after discharge cannot be generalized to the entire population of clients treated, since those not found have a different combination of risk factors.

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REFERENCES

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, USA

    James E. Rohrer, Mary S. Vaughan & Remi Cadoret

  2. Iowa Department of Public Health, USA

    Janet Zwick

Authors
  1. James E. Rohrer
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  2. Mary S. Vaughan
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  3. Remi Cadoret
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  4. Janet Zwick
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Rohrer, J.E., Vaughan, M.S., Cadoret, R. et al. Follow-Up Contact Bias in Evaluation of Substance Abuse Treatment Programs. Adm Policy Ment Health 26, 207–212 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021314714186

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021314714186

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