Treatment outcomes of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer alcohol and other drug counselling service in Australia: A retrospective analysis of client records

Introduction Substance use disorders are more prevalent among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people than among their heterosexual and cisgender peers. There has been limited alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment research with LGBTQ people outside of North America. This study aimed to examine the treatment outcomes of clients attending a LGBTQ-specific AOD counselling service in Australia (ACON's Substance Support Service) and compare their client profile and treatment outcomes with LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ clients of similar mainstream services. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of the health records of 284 ACON clients and 1011 clients of five mainstream services in 2016-2018. Clients completed clinical interviews at treatment entry and periodically throughout treatment and completed measures of substance use, severity of dependence, psychological distress and quality of life. Results Most ACON clients were seeking treatment for methamphetamine (58%) and alcohol use (26%). Among ACON clients, there were reductions in past month days of substance use and severity of dependence between treatment entry and counselling sessions 4, 8 and 12 (all P < 0.001). There were statistically significant reductions in psychological distress and improved quality of life among ACON clients. Despite ACON and the mainstream services having similar treatment approaches, their client profiles were markedly different in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, substance use and source of referral, which precluded comparison of treatment outcomes. Discussion and Conclusions ACON's clients showed reduced substance use and improved psychosocial wellbeing during treatment. The findings support the provision of LGBTQ-specific AOD services.