Improving Addiction Treatment Retention for Young People: A Research Report from the National Addiction Centre

This study is the first in New Zealand to investigate the factors associated with AOD treatment retention among youth. Conducted among a group of young people who attended eight youth AOD treatment services in New Zealand during 2003 and 2004, it examines a range of treatment modalities, including day, residential and outpatient settings using mainstream, kaupapa Mäori and Pasifika approaches.

The study shows that ‘fixed client characteristics’ such as sociodemographics have little or no association with longer stays in treatment – and that instead, ‘dynamic client characteristics’ and ‘programme-related variables’ are more relevant.