DIFFERENT INTAKE PROCEDURES - THE INFLUENCE ON TREATMENT START AND TREATMENT RESPONSE - A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Two hundred Norwegian substance abusers who consecutively applied for treatment in a hierarchical therapeutic community were divided into two different groups according to intake procedures: the intake group (IG) and the nonintake group (No-IG). Using a prospective design, we found that beginners in the program were more often infected with human immunodeficiency virus and that they used amphetamine more frequently and alcohol less frequently than nonbeginners. The type of intake procedure did not influence the percentage of those who started in the program, but it increased the number of clients who completed Phase 1, the 1-year inpatient phase of the program. Twice as many clients in the IG completed Phase 1 compared to those in the No-IG. From a clinical point of view, we conclude that the IG procedure should be offered to all applicants but that the model should be developed more as a role induction strategy, in which learning practical coping skills to adjust to the treatment program is essential.