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UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
LIFE SCIENCE RESEARCH SEMINARS
Web: http://www.um.edu.mt/events/scisem/
Email: [email protected]
Abstract form
An outcome study of drug rehabilitation programmes
Ms. Mariella Dimech
No 1a, San Andrea Apts, St Andrew’s Road, Swieqi.
21373898
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Email: [email protected]
Presentation date: 10 January 2011
Abstract
This study is based on creating the first local assessment tool that will aim at
researching how effective treatment is for Heroin Opiate users, taking into consideration
the interplay between the client, programme and environmental factors.
Total
abstinence from drugs as well as reduction in drug abuse, criminal behaviour, mental
instability, anti-social behaviour, health problems, and overall social instability are all
variables measured as effective outcomes of rehabilitation in this study. The main
outcome measures which will be included in the questionnaire are primarily based on
the Treatment Outcome Profile (TOP) study conducted in the U.K. The TOP is a reliable
and valid 20-item instrument for treatment outcomes monitoring. The design of the
questionnaire went through a prospective cohort, psychometric evaluation with 7-day
retest and 1 month follow up to assess inter reliability, concurrent, discriminant and
construct validity and change sensitivity. The research is based on a longitudinal design.
Phase one of the Data Collection was conducted using the structured questionnaire in
individual interviews with drug dependant clients in the first phase of treatment. Phase
two was conducted one year later whereby all participants were re-administered the
same questionnaire in an individual interview. A statistical comparison using SPSS is
being conducted in order to indicate what outcomes result in the various domains.