Research Article Critique

Research Article Critique

The objective of this study which was conducted by two professors at Witchita State University, Cathleen A. Lewandowski and Twyla J. Hill was to evaluate whether social and emotional supports influenced the successful completion of drug treatment amongst women. The study was conducted in a non-profit agency which provided comprehensive drug abuse treatment in programs that were specifically designed for women. Although the facility in which the study took place was comprised of various levels of care such as: residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, and outpatient treatment, this study focused on women’s completion of the 30-day residential program in particular. I believe this article targeted professionals that work with this population. The article was easy to understand and it used factual information to help substantiate their views.
This study was theory-based longitudinal research. I believe the research problem under study is the low rates of women entering and successfully completing drug treatment programs. However this problem was not clearly stated in the text. Social Network Theory, the theory that drove this study argues that “social networks are important sources of social support” (Lewandowski, Hill, 2009, p. 213). The researchers hypothesized that women’s presumption of the emotional and material social support they received from both natural and professional supports would affect treatment outcomes.
“The sampling frame was all of the women entering a residential substance abuse treatment program in the midwest during a 13 month period in 2003-2004” (p. 216). Systematic Random Sampling was employed in this study to ensure that women entering the treatment program throughout the month had an equal chance of being included in the study which contributed to the study’s ability of generalizing the results to a wider population. The sample included diverse populations although the majority of the women in the sample were Caucasion. Out of the 117 participants in the sample, 70% were European Americans, 13 % were African Americans, 7% were Hispanic, 7 % were Native Americans, and 3 % were Asian Americans.
The independent variables in this study were material and emotional support. The operational definition for material support was financial support, housing, or foster care for children, reported by the women in this study. The researchers created summary variables to measure emotional support. The operatonal definition for emotional support was the “women’s perception of whether they felt supported in their drug recovery process” (217). The researchers used the Scale of Perceived Social Support (SPSS) which they explicitely reported validity and reliabilty in measuring the concept of social support.
The dependent variable was described as a “dummy variable indicating whether women completed the 30 day residential program” (216). If women completed the 30 day residential program, moved to another residential treatment facility, or continued with a second phase of residential treatment they were coded as having completed treatment. On the contrary, if women self-discharged or were discharged at the program initiative for inapprorpiate behavior or other administrative reasons they were coded as not completing treatment. I believe the operational definitions were adequate. The study also included control variables such as ethnicity, marital status, educational level, drug treatment history, drug use in the past 30 days, and having children.
Data was collected by using a panel-based longitudinal survey research design. The researchers used both retrospective data which was collected when the women first entered treatment in addition to data which was collected during the study period. The initial data was collected using a semi-structured interview approach during admission into treatment and at three months following the intake procedure. The data collection instruments that were utilized were a life history calendar, which was used to collect data on women’s sources of material support, and the SPSS which was used to collect data on women’s perceptions of emotional support. The initial interviews were conducted in a private office at the residential facility whereas the the follow up interviewes were conducted in more convenient locations for the women. The researchers used the women’s case records as a secondary data source to obtain demographic information. The researchers compared the information collected from the participants case records to their responses to the interview questions and they would ask the participants to explain any discrepancies. The data analysis techniques that were employed in this study were bivariate statistics and logistic regression.
Based on the literature review, “social networks and social supports are associated with a variety of positive outcomes among women addicts who are in and out of drug treatment” (p. 214). The literature also suggests that the amount of social support can increase after women drug users complete treatment and are in continuous recovery. I believe that the literature review is adequate and that there is a clear connection between theory, earlier findings, and the purpose of the present study. The amount of social supports one have is obviously a major factor in whether one sucessfully complete treatment and maintain abstinence.
The researchers used both qualitative and quantitative data to draw their conclusions. They reported that the study supported their hypothesis that women who perceived that they received adequate emotional support were more likely to complete treatment. Surprisingly, they found that the women who indicated that they received financial supports at the time of the initial interview were less likely to complete treatment when compared to those who did not receive financial support. They also concluded that race, ethnicity, or age did not seem to affect treatment outcomes. In terms of the other covariates the women’s marital staus as well as whether they had children positively affected treatment completion, although it was not statistically significant.
The findings of this research study was presented clearly and concisely which can be identified as a strength. However, they used a small sample size and the study was limited to females from one specific residential facility in only one state. Studying subjects from other residential facilities across the states could have lent more credance to the results. Also it was not mentioned if the subjects knew they were being studied. They did not include whether informed consent was obtained or if debriefing occured. The lack of this relevant information leads to questions of ethical conduct by the researchers.
Overall, I believe these findings are relevant to the social work profession because it acknowledges the relationship between social supports and successful recovery which yield possible implications for practice. The data was sufficient to warrant the conclusions. Treatment program practictioners should attempt to focus more on strengthening emotional social supports being that it reflects positive treatment outcomes. I agree with Lewandowski & Hill in that “Future research should focus on how women’s social networks affect their decision to enter and complete treatment”(p. 220). I appreciated this journal entry for I found it to be both insightful and resourceful. It was well written and easy to understand and it provided great implications for treatment planning objectives and outcomes. Based on my review I will recommend that people who are interested in or currently working with the substance abuse population read this literature for a better understanding of all the resources and barriers that exists as it relates to women’s treatment and recovery efforts.

References
Hill, J. T., & Lewandowski, A. K., (2009). The Impact of emotional and material social support on women’s drug treatment completion. Journal of Health & Social Work, 34, 213-221

References: Hill, J. T., & Lewandowski, A. K., (2009). The Impact of emotional and material social support on women’s drug treatment completion. Journal of Health & Social Work, 34, 213-221