Two complementary sources of data – quantitative and qualitative interviews – are used to examine why individuals in a non-clinical population, enter, stay in, and leave substance abuse treatment. Study participants (n=519) were receiving Supplemental Security Income for a drug abuse or alcoholism (DA&A) disability in December 1996. The quantitative data are from five waves of face-to-face interviews conducted every six months across 2 years. Interviews included closed-ended questions about recent use of drugs and alcohol and treatment entrance and exit. Analyses of these data describe reasons respondents reported for entering and leaving treatment and identify predictors of treatment involvement from a wide array of social and economic variables using multiple regression. Results of this analysis will be compared with findings from the qualitative data set, obtained from a semi-scripted ethnographic interview in which a subset of 80 study participants talked about their experiences using alcohol and drugs and substance abuse treatment. Results from the qualitative interviews provide a much more complex picture of respondents’ motivation to enter and exit treatment. Respondents cited reasons not anticipated in the answer choices in the quantitative interview, such as enrolling in residential treatment as a last resort option to avoid homelessness. Implications of the differences between findings of the scripted and semi-scripted interviews for the use of quantitative and qualitative methods to assess substance use and treatment utilization will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to discuss individuals' motivations for entering substance abuse treatment and the potential of qualitative and quantitative methods to discern these motivations
Keywords: Substance Abuse Treatment, Welfare Reform
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.