Contingency management in group treatment: a demonstration project in an HIV drop-in center.
This study describes a contingency management intervention applied in group treatment. In an HIV drop-in center, groups were held on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 35 weeks. An ABB'CA design was used, in which reinforcers were available in non-A phases. In the initial B phase, reinforcers were available only on Tuesdays, and they switched to Thursdays in the B' and C phases. The reinforcer was a drawing that was associated with the possibility of winning a prize. Reinforcers were provided for attending group and completing steps related to treatment goals. The number of drawings escalated with weeks of consecutive attendance and activity completion in the B phases; in the C phase, a fixed number of draws were provided. Overall, the procedure increased attendance, with an average of 0.7 clients (range 0-4) per session in the initial baseline phase to an average of seven clients (range 2-12) during reinforcement phases. The percentage of activities completed also rose from 25% during baseline to 65% during reinforcement phases. These data suggest the feasibility of a group-based contingency management intervention.
Petry
N M
NM
Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030-3944, USA. petry@psychiatry.uchc.edu
Martin
B
B
Finocche
C
C
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003151:Community Health Centers; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*