Therapeutic Communities: A Three Country Comparison

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application responds to a Program Announcement (PAS-03-023; "International Research Collaboration on Drug Addiction") that encourages international collaborative research on drug addiction and treatment. Investigators at NDRI will collaborate with Daytop Village and its International Division to examine the characteristics of Therapeutic Communities (TC) and the process of TC treatment in three countries: China, Thailand and the United States. One TC will be the study site in each country. Three aims are proposed: 1) describe the TC program in each country and assess the presence of essential elements in each TC, 2) measure the relationship between essential elements and client retention and progress in care, and 3) build an international team of investigators to conduct the study, evaluate the cultural context, provide research technical assistance, disseminate findings and develop future proposals. Admissions, treatment process, and discharge data will be collected at each participating site for 21 months and include an estimated 1,610 study participants (China = 440; Thailand = 570; United States = 600). Client and staff focus groups will be conducted twice per year and participants will complete quality assurance scales and the Survey of Essential Elements; these data are analyzed to characterize the programs and their changes over time. The overall goals are to improve the quality of TC care and to foster collaborative research.