Svikis, DS., Pickens, RW., Schweitzer, W., Johnson, E., & Haug, N. (1999). Weekly patterns of drug treatment attendance. American Journal of Public Health, 89(5), 752-755. http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/89/5/752
OBJECTIVES: This study examined weekly patterns of drug treatment attendance in relation to date of welfare payment receipt and reason for treatment absence. METHODS: Treatment attendance by Medicaid-eligible pregnant women who were drug dependent was examined by calendar week over a 29-month period. RESULTS: Time series analyses showed that attendance was lower during week 1 than week 4. Drug use was the most frequently reported reason for treatment absence during week 1 (25%) but was not reported as a reason during week 3. CONCLUSIONS: Drug-dependent outpatients had increased absences associated with illicit drug use during the first week of the month when welfare payments were received. The generalizability of the findings is unknown.
