Predictors of outcome from computer-based treatment for substance use disorders: Results from a randomized clinical trial

Background: Although empirical evidence for the effectiveness of technology-mediated interventions for substance use disorders is rapidly growing, the role of baseline characteristics of patients in predicting treatment outcomes of a technology-based therapy is largely unknown.

Method: Participants were randomly assigned to either standard methadone maintenance treatment or reduced standard treatment combined with the computer-based therapeutic education system (TES). An array of demographic and behavioral characteristics of participants (N=160) was measured at baseline. Opioid abstinence and treatment retention were measured weekly for a 52-week intervention period. Generalized linear model and Cox-regression were used to estimate the predictive roles of baseline characteristics in predicting treatment outcomes.

Results: We found significant predictors of opioid abstinence and treatment retention within and across conditions. Among 21 baseline characteristics of participants, employment status, anxiety, and ambivalent attitudes toward substance use predicted better opioid abstinence in the reduced-standard-plus-TES condition compared to standard treatment. Participants who had used cocaine/crack in the past 30 days at baseline showed lower dropout rates in standard treatment, whereas those who had not used exhibited lower dropout rates in the reduced-standard-plus-TES condition.

Conclusions: This study is the first randomized controlled trial, evaluating over a 12-month period, how various aspects of participant characteristics impact outcomes for treatments that do or do not include technology-based therapy. Compared to standard alone treatment, including TES as part of the care was preferable for patients who were employed, highly anxious, and ambivalent about substance use and did not produce worse outcomes for any subgroups of participants.