TITLE:
Participation in Mind-Body-Spirit Programs and Length of Stay in a Residential Addiction Treatment Facility: A Retrospective Analysis
AUTHORS:
Robert Gundel, Marie Lanier, Sarah Osborne, Randall Dwenger, Sahel Shwayhat
KEYWORDS:
Substance Use Disorder, Length of Stay, Residential Treatment Facility, Mind-Body-Spirit Programs
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Psychology,
Vol.6 No.2,
April
21,
2017
ABSTRACT: Length of stay in treatment is thought to be the best predictors for long-term recovery from substance use disorders. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in mind-body-spirit (MBS) therapeutic programs and length of stay in a residential treatment facility. A retrospective analysis of data from 1719 subjects who were admitted to a 30-day residential program for substance use disorders (SUD) was conducted. Subjects participated in MBS programs that included yoga, acupuncture and meditation. We examined the effects of subject participation in MBS programs for subjects who left against staff advice (ASA) and those who successfully completed the residential program. A higher percentage of subjects with severe heroin use disorder left ASA compared with subjects with severe alcohol use disorder (16% vs. 9%, respectively). Most subjects from both substance groups who failed to complete the 30-day treatment program, left within the first two weeks of stay (59% of alcohol group and 75% of heroin group); however, again, the percentage of heroin users leaving during the first two weeks was significantly greater compared with that of alcohol subjects. We found a highly significant, positive correlation (r = 0.56, p