TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors associated with obtaining employment among opioid use disorder patients enrolled in a therapeutic workplace intervention
AU - Holtyn, August F.
AU - Toegel, Forrest
AU - Novak, Matthew D.
AU - Silverman, Kenneth
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under grants R01 DA037314 and T32 DA07209 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The National Institutes of Health had no part in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - Background: Unemployment is a common problem among adults who have substance use disorder that often persists during treatment and recovery. We identified patient characteristics that were associated with obtaining employment among unemployed adults in opioid use disorder treatment. Methods: This analysis used data from participants (N = 91) who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a therapeutic workplace in promoting drug abstinence and employment. After a 3-month training period (Phase 1), participants were randomly assigned to a study group and could work for 12 months with an employment specialist who assisted participants in obtaining employment (Phase 2). A logistic regression model was used to identify patient characteristics that were associated with obtaining employment. Results: Of the 91 participants, 39 (42.9 %) obtained employment. Compared to participants who did not obtain employment, participants who obtained employment worked more days in the therapeutic workplace during the training period (Phase 1) [OR (95 % CI) = 1.072 (1.015–1.132), p = .014], provided more opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples while seeking employment [OR (95 % CI) = 1.015 (1.002–1.027), p = .025], and reported not usually being unemployed at study intake [OR (95 % CI) = 0.229 (0.080–0.652), p = .007]. Conclusions: Our analyses suggest that among unemployed adults in opioid use disorder treatment, those with the lowest rates of therapeutic workplace attendance, lowest rates of drug abstinence while seeking employment, and relatively long histories of unemployment are the least likely to obtain employment. These relations are potentially addressable at a practical level, and future research could build on these findings to improve the effectiveness of employment-based interventions.
AB - Background: Unemployment is a common problem among adults who have substance use disorder that often persists during treatment and recovery. We identified patient characteristics that were associated with obtaining employment among unemployed adults in opioid use disorder treatment. Methods: This analysis used data from participants (N = 91) who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a therapeutic workplace in promoting drug abstinence and employment. After a 3-month training period (Phase 1), participants were randomly assigned to a study group and could work for 12 months with an employment specialist who assisted participants in obtaining employment (Phase 2). A logistic regression model was used to identify patient characteristics that were associated with obtaining employment. Results: Of the 91 participants, 39 (42.9 %) obtained employment. Compared to participants who did not obtain employment, participants who obtained employment worked more days in the therapeutic workplace during the training period (Phase 1) [OR (95 % CI) = 1.072 (1.015–1.132), p = .014], provided more opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples while seeking employment [OR (95 % CI) = 1.015 (1.002–1.027), p = .025], and reported not usually being unemployed at study intake [OR (95 % CI) = 0.229 (0.080–0.652), p = .007]. Conclusions: Our analyses suggest that among unemployed adults in opioid use disorder treatment, those with the lowest rates of therapeutic workplace attendance, lowest rates of drug abstinence while seeking employment, and relatively long histories of unemployment are the least likely to obtain employment. These relations are potentially addressable at a practical level, and future research could build on these findings to improve the effectiveness of employment-based interventions.
KW - Employment
KW - Incentives
KW - Opioid use disorder
KW - Therapeutic workplace
KW - Unemployment
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U2 - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108907
DO - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108907
M3 - Article
C2 - 34311206
AN - SCOPUS:85111027846
SN - 0376-8716
VL - 226
JO - Drug and alcohol dependence
JF - Drug and alcohol dependence
M1 - 108907
ER -