The purpose of this descriptive study was to reveal the typical life style of a representative sample of fifty male opiate addicts participating in the Oregon Methadone Treatment Program. An important goal of the research was to assess the reliability of information gathered from patients compared to data obtained from an equal number of informants. A highly structured questionnaire was designed to elicit specific responses in order to calculate the degree of concordance between patients and informants to identical items. The findings depicted the modal life style of the subjects as more socially conventional, more responsible, and less antisocial. Although only 20% of the patients occasionally used heroin, it was common for them to rely on alcohol or marijuana. The results showed a pattern of high agreement between patients and informants in the information they provided suggesting that the data were reliable. It is judged that the self- report of methadone patients should be given considerable credence when information is gathered in a context of trust and confidentiality. The investigators conclude that the Oregon Methadone Treatment Program deserves the full support of the community as one with significant dividends to the patients and to the state.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pdx.edu/oai:pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu:open_access_etds-2432 |
| Date | 01 January 1971 |
| Creators | Cox, Richard, West, Gary |
| Publisher | PDXScholar |
| Source Sets | Portland State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations and Theses |
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