Does methadone maintenance help clients or simply prolong their addiction.
Research Methods I
Kaplan University
Helen Farel
The disease of addiction may never be fully understood, but further studies in methadone maintenance with opioid dependence will prove that methadone maintenance prevents cravings and withdrawal symptoms and helps an addict to maintain their sobriety while trying to overcome their addiction. In this paper the author will discuss the ...view middle of the document...
(Fitzgerald & McCarty, 2009). This study examined the variables that influenced the use of addiction medications using a multilevel framework and assessing the variations across medications. (Fitzgerald & McCarty, 2009). This was the first study that investigated both individual and organizational factors in a multilevel framework. The researcher chose this method due to it being a useful way to diminish predictor choices and establish useful baseline multilevel models so that future studies could build upon it. (Fitzgerald & McCarty, 2009).
The second study, “Randomized trial of drug abuse treatment-linkage strategies”, was a randomized controlled experiment. The design of this study was described as a 2-by-2 crossed design, but the analyses followed a cell-means approach, the reason for that was not to test all possible effects but to focus on the pre-specified hypotheses that were based on theory and published studies on the use of vouchers for six month of free methadone maintenance and case management. (Sorensen, et al, 2005). The article discusses several treatment strategies for an individual who struggles with substance abuse and what some of the outcomes of the study are. The strategies that were used in the study were case management, a voucher program for methadone maintenance, a combination of case management plus the voucher program and the usual care for substance abuse. The results showed that the participants who were in the voucher program and the case management plus voucher program had less drug use after three and six months of treatment than those participants who were enrolled in just the case management group or the participants who had the usual care for their substance abuse. (Sorensen, et al, 2005).
The next article, “Patients’ views of treatment: Methadone vs. Buprenorphine”, was a qualitative study using questionnaires. This method was used to obtain the patients views regarding two medications and to test the hypothesis that buprenorphine has a better reputation and is therefore preferred by patients. (White, et al, 2007). Any patient who was a primary heroin user attending community clinics were eligible to participate by answering a questionnaire. The outcome of the study was that the patients preferred methadone maintenance over buprenorphine, refuting the researcher’s hypothesis. (White, et al, 2005).
The final research article, “Relation of detoxification fear to methadone maintenance outcome,” used a quantitative research method using questionnaires and interviewing the participants. The researcher of this article wanted to test the hypothesis that detoxification fear affected the outcome of a client’s methadone maintenance. This researcher did prove that a client who has detoxification fear stayed in the methadone maintenance program...