Contingency management for treatment of substance use disorders: a meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of contingency management (CM) techniques in treating substance use disorders (i.e. illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco).


METHODS
Meta-analysis was used to determine the average effect size and potential moderators in 47 comparisons of the effectiveness of CM from studies based on a treatment-control group design and published between 1970 and 2002.


RESULTS
The mean effect size (ES) of CM was positive, with a magnitude of d = 0.42 using a fixed effects model. The magnitude of the ES declined over time, following treatment. CM was more effective in treating opiate use (d = 0.65) and cocaine use (d = 0.66), compared with tobacco (d = 0.31) or multiple drugs (d = 0.42). Larger effect sizes were associated with higher researcher involvement, earlier studies and shorter treatment duration.


CONCLUSIONS
Study findings suggest that CM is among the more effective approaches to promoting abstinence during the treatment of substance use disorders. CM improves the ability of clients to remain abstinent, thereby allowing them to take fuller advantage of other clinical treatment components.
Prendergast
Michael
M
Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. mlp@ucla.edu
Podus
Deborah
D
Finney
John
J
Greenwell
Lisa
L
Roll
John
J
D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome