title: Evaluating the impact of community-based treatment options on methamphetamine use: findings from the Methamphetamine Treatment Evaluation Study (MATES).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of community-based drug treatment on methamphetamine use using inverse probability of treatment-weighted (IPTW) estimators to derive treatment effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A longitudinal prospective cohort study with follow-ups at 3 months, 1 year and 3 years. Treatment effects were derived by comparing groups at follow-up. IPTW estimators were used to adjust for pre-treatment differences between groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sydney and Brisbane, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were methamphetamine users entering community-based detoxification (n = 112) or residential rehabilitation (n = 248) services and a quasi-control group of methamphetamine users (n = 101) recruited from the community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Frequency of methamphetamine use between interviews (no use, less than weekly, 1-2 days per week, 3+ days per week), continuous abstinence from methamphetamine use, past month methamphetamine use and methamphetamine dependence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Detoxification did not reduce methamphetamine use at any follow-up relative to the quasi-control group. Relative to quasi-control and detoxification groups combined, residential rehabilitation produced large reductions in the frequency of methamphetamine use at 3 months [odds ratio (OR) = 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15-0.36, P < 0.001), with a marked attenuation of this effect at 1 year (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.40-0.97, P = 0.038) and 3 years (OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.42-1.19, P = 0.189). The greatest impact was for abstinence: for every 100 residential rehabilitation clients there was a gain of 33 being continuously abstinent at 3 months, with this falling to 14 at 1 year and 6 at 3 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Community-based residential rehabilitation may produce a time-limited decrease in methamphetamine use, while detoxification alone does not appear to do so.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. rebecca.mcketin@anu.edu.au
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McKetin
authors.forename: Jake M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Najman
authors.forename: Amanda L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Dan I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Lubman
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dawe
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Nicole K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Mattick
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mamun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine; D012008:Recurrence; D012114:Residential Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D008694:Methamphetamine