Substance Use Disorder Civil Commitment and Association With Post-Commitment Treatment Retention Among Adult Women

The effects of substance abuse are a public health challenge, as evidenced by the prevalence of drug-related overdoses since the year 2000. Involuntary civil commitment (ICC) denotes a legal basis to mandate treatment for people at imminent risk of harm due to substance use disorders (SUD). Grounded on the transtheoretical model stages of change, this quantitative retrospective cohort study analyzed the relationship between mental disorder history, medication for addiction treatment (MAT), and voluntary retention in SUD treatment post-ICC, controlling for age, race/ethnicity, drugs used, housing status, and Department of Children and Families services. Secondary data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health yielded a random sample of 500 women aged 18 and older enrolled in ICC for SUD treatment between January 2017 and December 2019. The multiple regression results were significant for both predictors, F(8, 485) = 9.398, p < .001, R2 =.12, with mental disorders (B = .281, t = 6.468, p < .001) providing a higher contribution to the model than MAT (B = .149, t = 3.465, p < .001). There was no statistically significant relationship with the covariates. The findings elucidate the need for co-occurring mental disorders and SUD treatment. Public health leaders can promote positive social change by expanding access to MAT and specialized treatment for women with SUD.