Name of Project: Methamphetamine Abuse: Natural
History, Treatment Effects
Principal Investigator: Mary-Lynn Brecht, Ph.
D.
Co-Principal Investigators: M. Douglas Anglin,
Ph.D., and Richard. Rawson, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA)
Funding Period: February 1998-January 2004
Scope of Project: This study addresses specific
aims in three areas: (1) Assessment of methamphetamine (MA) use
patterns over time and the long-term consequences of MA use, including
the conditional impact of demographic, background, and health
characteristics, and the relationships of MA-use histories to
other substance use, HIV/AIDS risk behaviors, and criminal behaviors.
(2) Examination of long-term treatment outcomes (including differential
effects for ethnicity, gender, modality, and other user characteristics)
and patterns of treatment utilization for MA users. (3) Description
of motivation, addiction severity, and other barriers limiting
treatment access for MA users who have not participated in treatment.
Using the Natural History Interview, the study has interviewed
an initial sample of 365 MA users admitted to treatment for MA
use in 1995-97 to publicly funded outpatient and residential programs
in Los Angeles County. Currently, we are conducting a three year
follow-up interview on this treated sample in order to understand
longer-term treatment outcomes. In addition, the study is recruiting
a new sample of 320 MA users (including about 80 primary Spanish
language) from Los Angeles County who have never been in treatment
in order to better understand the untreated course of MA use,
barriers to treatment entry, and differences in drug-use histories
between treated and untreated MA users.
For more information, contact Mary-Lynn
Brecht.
Last updated - 08/07/2003
Last reviewed - 08/4/03