Longitudinal substance abuse research has often been compromised by high rates of attrition, thought to be the result of the lifestyle that often accompanies addiction. Several studies have used strategies including collection of locator information at the baseline assessment, verification of the information, and interim contacts prior to…

Examines the problem of attrition from therapeutic treatment programs, discussing the scope and limitations of research about the causes of subject attrition. Examines the applicability of proposed methodological remedies for assessing and countering attrition. Such research often suffers from inadequate conceptualization and weak design. (SLD)