Skip to main content
Log in

A Survival Analysis of Communal-Living, Self-Help, Addiction Recovery Participants

  • Published:
American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

We examined individual and group characteristics associated with the duration of community involvement (i.e., length of residence) in 11 Illinois Oxford Houses for 129 male recovering addicts. Survival analyses indicated that the best predictor of duration of community involvement from demographic items was age (i.e., older age and older age of fellow residents were associated with being more likely to continue residence). Among psychological measures, the best survival predictor was lack of pessimism of the future. Although the relationship between longer length of residence and treatment outcomes are complex, because it is often difficult to keep people involved in treatment programs, knowledge that we can gain about those factors that might lead to greater lengths of stay are of importance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Armor, D. J., Polich, J. M., & Stambul, H. B. (1978). Alcoholism and treatment. Report R-1739-NIAAA. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bachrach, K. M., & Zautra, A. J. (1985). Coping with a community stressor: The threat of a hazardous waste facility. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 26, 127–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497–529.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, P. D., Chertok, F., & Jason, L. A. (1997). Measuring sense of community: Beyond local boundaries. Journal of Primary Prevention, 18, 193–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dvorchak, P., Grams, G., Tate, L., & Jason, L. A. (1995). Pregnant and post-partum women in recovery: Barriers to treatment and the role of Oxford House in the continuing of care. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 13, 97–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fals-Stewart, W., & Schafer, J. (1992). The relationship between length of stay in drug-free therapeutic communities and neurocognitive functioning. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 48, 539–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari, J. R., Curtin, M., Dvorchak, P., & Jason, L. A. (1997). Recovering from alcoholism in communal-living settings: Exploring characteristics of African Americans. Journal of Substance Abuse, 9, 77–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari, J. R., & Dobis, K. (1997). Effects of mandatory versus volunteer service to children on college student development and a sense of community. Manuscript under review.

  • Ferrari, J. R., Sobroski, S., & Boyer, P. (1997). Honor versus college student community-service to Latino youths and their sense of community. Manuscript under review.

  • Humphreys, K., & Woods, M. D. (1993). Researching mutual help group participation in a segregated society. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 29, 181–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jason, L. A., Ferrari, J. R., Groessl, E. J., Dvorchak, P. A., & Malloy, J. P. (1997). The characteristics of alcoholics in self-help residential treatment settings: A multi-site study of Oxford House. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 15, 53–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jason, L. A., Ferrari, J. R., Smith, B., Marsh, P., Dvorchak, P. A., Groessl, E. J., Pechota, M. E., Curtin, M., Bishop, P. D., Kot, E., & Bowden, B. S. (1997). An exploratory study of male recovering substance abusers living in a self-help, self-governed setting. Journal of Mental Health Administration, 24, 332–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jason, L. A., & Kobayashi, R. B. (1995). Community building: Our next frontier. Journal of Primary Prevention, 15, 195–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jason, L. A., Pechota, M. E., Bowden, B. S., Kohner, K., Pokorny, S. B., Bishop, P. D., Quintana, E., Sangerman, C., Salina, D., Taylor, S., Lesondak, L., & Grams, G. (1994). Oxford House: Community living is community healing. In J. A. Lewis (Ed.) Addictions: Concepts and strategies for treatment (p. 333–338). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Longabaugh, R., Beattie, M., Noel, N., Stout, R. L., & Malloy, P. (1993). The effects of social investment on treatment outcome. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 54, 465–478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luke, D. A., Roberts, L., & Rappaport, J. (1993). Individual, group context, and individual-group fit predictors of self-help group attendance. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 29, 214–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCuster, J., Stoddard, A., Frost, R., & Zorn, M. (1996). Planned versus actual duration of drug abuse treatment. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 184, 482–489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nealon-Woods, M. A., Ferrari, J. R., & Jason, L. A. (1995). Twelve-step program use among Oxford House residents: Spirituality or social support in sobriety. Journal of Substance Abuse, 7, 311–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norusis, M. J. (1993). SPSS for Windows Advanced Statistics Release, 6.0. Chicago: SPSS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfeiffer, S. I., O'Malley, D. S., & Shott, S. (1996). Factors associated with the outcome of adults treated in psychiatric hospitals. A synthesis of findings. Psychiatric Services, 47, 263–269.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pretty, G. M. H. (1990). Relating psychological sense of community to social climate characteristics. Journal of Community Psychology, 18, 60–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, D., & Wilkinson, D. (1995). Sense of community in a remote mining town: Validating a neighborhood cohesion scale. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23, 137–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmale, A. H., & Engel, G. L. (1967). The giving up complex illustrated on film. Archives of General Psychiatry, 17, 135–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (1991). Modeling the days of our lives: Using survival analysis when designing and analyzing longitudinal studies of duration and the timing of events. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 268–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staats, S. (1987). Hope: Expected positive affect in an adult sample. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 148, 357–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staats, S. (1989). Hope: A comparison of two self-report measures for adults. Journal of Personality Assessment, 53, 366–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swindle, R. W., Phibbs, C. S., Paradise, M. J., & Recine, B. P. (1995). Inpatient treatment for substance abuse patients with psychiatric disorders. A national study of determinants of readmission. Journal of Substance Abuse, 7, 79–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaillant, G. E. (1983). The natural history of alcoholism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bishop, P.D., Jason, L.A., Ferrari, J.R. et al. A Survival Analysis of Communal-Living, Self-Help, Addiction Recovery Participants. Am J Community Psychol 26, 803–821 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022241712065

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022241712065

Navigation