Evaluation of the therapeutic community treatment model in Thailand: policy implications for compulsory and prison-based treatment.
This study, conducted in 2005 to 2007, presents results that are based on a proscriptive cohort design. The sample consisted of 769 residents in 22 drug user treatment programs who stayed in treatment for at least 30 days to one year; 510 former residents (66%) from 21 programs (95%) were interviewed again at a 6-month post-treatment follow-up assessment. A majority of the participants were male, lived with family or relatives, had completed only primary school, and had a full-time or a part-time job prior to entering treatment. The participating therapeutic community (TC) programs were a mixture of volunteer, compulsory-probation, and prison-based programs. In-person interview data and urine testing showed that the self-reported drug use prevalence rates are reliable. The results show large positive treatment effects on 30-day and 6-month illegal drug use and small to medium effects on the severity of alcohol use and related problems. A multilevel regression analysis suggests that residents' reduced stigma, adaptation of the TC model, and frequency of alcohol and drug use-related consequences partially predict treatment success. Study limitations and policy implications are discussed.
Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Inc., Louisville Center, 400 So. 4th St., Louisville, KY 40208, USA. kwjohnson@pire.org
Knowlton W
KW
Johnson
Linda
L
Young
Stephen
S
Shamblen
Geetha
G
Suresh
Thom
T
Browne
Khun Warunee
KW
Chookhare
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D037141:Mandatory Programs; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011330:Prisons; D011640:Public Policy; D057566:Self Report; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D013785:Thailand; D013808:Therapeutic Community; D055815:Young Adult