Patterns of treatment utilization and methamphetamine use during first 10 years after methamphetamine initiation.

Mary-Lynn Brecht, Katherine Lovinger, Diane M Herbeck, Darren Urada

Journal of substance abuse treatment 2013 May-Jun

filter terms:

The study examined joint trajectories of methamphetamine (MA) use and substance abuse treatment utilization and identified differences among pattern groups for a sample of 348 treated for MA use. Results from group-based trajectory modeling showed that treatment utilization during the first 10 years after initiation of MA use could be categorized into three distinctive patterns: about half the MA users have a pattern of low treatment utilization; one-fourth follow a quicker-to-treatment trajectory with higher probability of treatment during the first 5 years of MA use and less treatment in the next 5 years; and one-fourth have a slower-to-treatment trajectory with more treatment during the second half of the 10-year period. Four MA use patterns were identified: consistently low use, moderate, and high use, as well as a decreasing use pattern. Periods of greater likelihood of treatment participation were associated with periods of decreasing or lower frequency of MA use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Mary-Lynn Brecht, Katherine Lovinger, Diane M Herbeck, Darren Urada. Patterns of treatment utilization and methamphetamine use during first 10 years after methamphetamine initiation. Journal of substance abuse treatment. 2013 May-Jun;44(5):548-56