A comparison of the Dodo, EST, and ATI factors among comorbid stimulant‐dependent, depressed patients

Abstract

Abstract Describes pilot findings from a treatment development study aimed at improving treatment for comorbid depressed and chemically‐dependent patients. A comparison of standard RCT analyses with Hierarchical Multiple Regression (HLM) procedures revealed the latter to be more sensitive to the relative effects of patient, treatment, and patient–treatment matching variables among a small sample of ( N = 40) depressed, stimulant‐abusing patients. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatments, a standard Cognitive Therapy for Drug Abuse (CT), a contrasting Cognitive‐Narrative Therapy (NT), and a Prescriptive Therapy (PT), the latter of which selectively applied procedures from both of the other two treatments following an Aptitude × Treatment Interaction (ATI) model. The results supported a multiple factor view of psychotherapy effects, including the hypothesis that patient, treatment, relationship, and patient‐therapy matching variables add independent power to the prediction of treatment outcome, especially during follow‐up. ATI effect sizes were stronger than those associated with specific treatments. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.