Depression and hostility as predictors of long-term outcomes among opiate users.
OBJECTIVE
This study used data from the national Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies (DATOS) to investigate the associations that pre-treatment depression and hostility have with drug use and criminal behavior at 1 year and 5 year follow-up in patients with and without additional treatment involvement in the year prior to each follow-up.


METHODS
Following a naturalistic, non-experimental evaluation design, admissions to methadone treatment were followed up approximately 1 and 5 years later. Data analysis was conducted using multiple logistic regression.


METHODS
Eighteen programs from DATOS were included.


METHODS
An analytic sample consisting of 727 patients at 1 year follow-up and 432 patients at 5 year follow-up was included.


RESULTS
Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that greater depression predicted less drug use in the year preceding each follow-up, whereas greater hostility predicted increased drug use and more arrests at each follow-up. Furthermore, these predictive relationships appeared only among individuals not involved in additional treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Depression and hostility showed opposite associations with outcomes, underscoring the need to assess these psychological conditions separately and tailor treatment plans appropriately.
Rao
Sandhya R
SR
Institute of Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA. s.r.rao@tcu.edu
Broome
Kirk M
KM
Simpson
D Dwayne
DD
D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D009294:Narcotics; D008691:Methadone