CUMULATIVE VERSUS STABILIZING EFFECTS OF METHADONE-MAINTENANCE - A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING LONGITUDINAL SELF-REPORT DATA

The present study applied a quasi-experimental design to examine whether methadone maintenance treatment demonstrates cumulative (i.e., rehabilitative) or stabilizing effects on behavior of narcotics addicts over multiple treatment episodes. Nearly 1,000 addicts in Southern California methadone maintenance clinics were interviewed to obtain retrospective self-report information on their addiction histories. Nine measures, including use of narcotics and other drugs, crime involvement, and employment, were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The observed patterns of behavioral changes clearly indicated stabilizing effects for most of the measures, but no indication of cumulative effects were observed.