title: Weekly patterns of drug treatment attendance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined weekly patterns of drug treatment attendance in relation to date of welfare payment receipt and reason for treatment absence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Treatment attendance by Medicaid-eligible pregnant women who were drug dependent was examined by calendar week over a 29-month period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time series analyses showed that attendance was lower during week 1 than week 4. Drug use was the most frequently reported reason for treatment absence during week 1 (25%) but was not reported as a reason during week 3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drug-dependent outpatients had increased absences associated with illicit drug use during the first week of the month when welfare payments were received. The generalizability of the findings is unknown.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md., USA. dacecap@aol.com
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Svikis
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Pickens
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haug
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008484:Medicaid; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012621:Seasons; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000191:economics*; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States