The purpose of this study is to compare different forms of treatment for substance abuse. This study will involve a type of treatment called contingency management, in which patients receive incentives (prizes) for attending outpatient treatment. This study will compare contingency management to standard treatment that does not involve incentives. This study will also compare contingency management treatment that lasts 6 weeks to contingency management that lasts 12 weeks. Finally, this study will compare contingency management treatment delivered at the beginning of outpatient treatment to contingency management treatment delivered later during outpatient treatment. The investigators hypothesize that (1) a 12-week attendance-based contingency management intervention will improve retention and enhance drug abstinence versus standard treatment, (2) initial short-term exposure to attendance-based contingency management (in weeks 1-6 only) will improve substance abuse treatment outcomes compared to standard treatment alone, and (3) contingency management in weeks 7-12 will be particularly useful for those with sporadic attendance or continued drug use during initial stages of treatment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
360
Participants randomized to a contingency management treatment condition can earn the chance to win prizes for attending substance abuse treatment.
University of Connecticut Health Center
Farmington, Connecticut, United States
longest duration of negative drug and alcohol samples submitted
Time frame: throughout active phase and at each follow-up assessment
proportions of samples testing negative for drugs and alcohol
Time frame: during active phase and at each follow-up assessment
psychosocial functioning and HIV risk behaviors
Time frame: baseline, active phase and at each follow-up assessment
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