Vocational Training for Drug Dependent Women

Medical University Of South Carolina, Charleston SC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Unemployment in individuals recovering from drug addiction may be a risk factor for relapse. Presumably, employment provides an individual with an activity that is inconsistent with drug use, increases financial independence, provides a source of social support unrelated to substance use, and improves self-esteem. These benefits may be especially helpful to women recovering from addiction, as often these women rely on financial support from either the government (welfare) or from a male partner who may not be supportive of her sobriety. The goal of the present proposal is to improve the employment status of women who are in addiction recovery. The project also seeks to examine the relationship between substance dependence and employment in women, an area that has been relatively unstudied. Two different vocational training programs will be compared. Women who have completed an intensive, outpatient, drug treatment program will be randomized to one of these two programs. One is a specialized, gender-specific, 12-week program called Innovative Alternatives for Women (IAW). The other approach is a gender-neutral, 4-session program called Job Seekers Workshop that teaches job-seeking skills and which may be more likely used within an addiction treatment program. Participants will be assessed at 2 months and 5 months following completion of the program to which they were randomized. Main outcome variables are (1) whether she is employed full time, (2) whether she is employed full time in a job that provides health benefits, and (3) percent days abstinent from substances of abuse. It is expected that IAW, because of its focus on issues relevant specifically to women, and because of its technical skills training, will be superior to JSVV in producing graduates who have better outcomes in all three domains. This study represents a first step toward addressing the relationship between employment and relapse in drug recovering women.