Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and One‐Year Outcome in Methadone Maintenance Treatment

Background: Although opiate use may be associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is not clear whether PTSD is associated with retention in methadone maintenance. Objectives: To evaluate among those receiving methadone maintenance at an urban methadone maintenance clinic the frequency of life‐time traumatic experiences, the predictors and prevalence of current PTSD, and whether PTSD affects retention at 1 year. Methods: Eighty‐nine people participated in the study. The Post Traumatic Diagnostic Scale was used to determine the prevalence of PTSD. The Life Stressor Checklist Revised was used to evaluate trauma history. Logistic regression analyses examined associations between demographic characteristics, substance use, trauma‐related variables, and PTSD. Similar logistic regression analyses were used to examine retention in methadone maintenance at 1 year. Results: The mean number of reported lifetime stressful events was 8.0 (SD = 3.7). Twenty‐seven percent were diagnosed with PTSD. Nearly 92% of those with PTSD had co‐occurring depressive symptoms. Female gender (adjusted odds ratio [AOR][95% CI]; 3.89 [1.07–14.01]), number of traumatic events (AOR [95% CI]; 1.34 [1.13–1.61]), and less education (AOR [95% CI]; 4.13 [1.14–14.98]) were significantly associated with PTSD. Those with a toxicology positive screen were 80% less likely to remaine in methadone maintenance at 1 year (OR [95% CI]; 0.20 [0.07–0.52]). PTSD diagnosis was not significantly associated with treatment retention at 1 year (OR [95% CI]; 0.61 [0.23–1.64]). Conclusions and Scientific Significance: Future studies are needed to determine if treatment of PTSD that is integrated into methadone maintenance programs may impact continued substance abuse use and thereby improve retention in care. (Am J Addict 2012;21:524–530)     

Recruitment and Retention of Latino Immigrant Families in Prevention Research

The development and testing of culturally competent interventions relies on the recruitment and retention of ethnic minority populations. Minority immigrants are a population of keen interest given their widespread growth, needs, and contributions to communities in which they settle, and particularly recent immigrants from Mexico and Central and South American countries. However, recruitment and retention strategies for entirely immigrant samples are rarely discussed in the literature. The current article describes lessons learned from two family-focused longitudinal prevention research studies of Latino immigrants in Oregon—the Adolescent Latino Acculturation Study (ALAS) and the Latino Youth and Family Empowerment Project-II (LYFE-II). Social, legal, economic, and political contexts are considered that shape Latino immigrants’ experiences in their home countries as well as in the United States. The implications of these contexts for effective recruitment and retention strategies are discussed.