Employment Outcomes of Chemical Dependency Treatment: Analyses from Washington State
Executive Summary
Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the employment outcomes of
clients who received publicly funded substance abuse treatment in Washington
State. We considered two outcomes. The first was labor market participation, or
whether clients were getting employed after treatment. The second outcome was
quarterly wages for the six quarters following treatment. For this outcome, we
analyzed only those clients that became employed in the follow-up period. Our
outcome period consisted of the six quarters following the end of an index
episode of treatment.
Study Population Our study population was all publicly-funded clients, between and
including the ages of 18 and 64, who began and ended an episode of treatment in
1995. For purposes of analysis, the sample was divided into two subgroups: ADATSA (n=5260) or Non-ADATSA (n=5024). The ADATSA program (Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Treatment and Support Act, passed by the state legislature in 1987) was
designed for indigent clients deemed unemployable due to addiction. For them
there is a distinct assessment, admission and treatment planning process. These
clients were often treated in an inpatient setting. Other clients, those who
usually have less severe addictions, typically receive outpatient treatment. In
this report, they are referred to as Non-ADATSA clients.
Certain clients were identified as having lower employment prospects than
others. These included Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
recipients, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, pregnant women and
those recently convicted of a felony.
Treatment Episodes Treatment episodes were created to reflect a continuum of care, and
whether successi/ms/rdave admissions were considered part of the same episode depended
on the amount of time between the discharge date from one admission and the
admission date of the following admission. If that time was 30 days or less,
then the admissions were grouped into a single episode. If that time was greater
than 30 days, then the admissions were considered part of two separate episodes.
Results Our analyses showed that completing treatment was associated with
positive outcomes for both types of clients and for both outcomes.
Labor Market Participation
For both ADATSA and Non-ADATSA
clients, the odds of getting employed were significantly higher for those
completing their treatment episode compared with noncompleters (38% higher for
ADATSA, 30% higher for Non-ADATSA).
In addition to the effect of completing treatment, the length of the
treatment episode had a significant effect on the odds of employment. For ADATSA
clients, the odds of getting employed were 17% higher for clients whose episodes
were 90 days or longer, while the odds of getting employed were 20% higher for
Non-ADATSA clients with longer episodes.
Wages
Completing the index treatment episode was associated with a $257 quarterly
increase in wages for ADATSA clients, and a $346 quarterly increase for Non-ADATSA
clients.
The length of the treatment episode was associated with wages as well, above
and beyond the effect of completing treatment. Both ADATSA and Non-ADATSA
clients with episodes lasting 90 days or longer earned significantly more than
clients whose episodes were shorter than 90 days ($240 per quarter more for
ADATSA clients, $523 per quarter more for Non-ADATSA clients).
Conclusions This study showed that completing treatment and having a treatment
episode of at least 90 days in length were associated with beneficial employment
outcomes. The primary goal of treatment is abstinence and successful recovery.
However, these results suggest that treatment can benefit employment as well.
This was true even with publicly funded clients who were significantly addicted,
were regarded as unemployable, and who had relatively few support systems. It
was suggested that combining employment programs with chemical dependency
treatment might be a way to improve employment outcomes even more.
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report: "Employment Outcomes of Chemical Dependency Treatment: Analyses
from Washington State"
Publication Date: 08/2002. Report Number 4.45, (359 KB)
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