SynthesisTheScientificWorldJournal2013
Therapeutic communities for addictions: a review of their effectiveness from a recovery-oriented perspective.
Synthesis in TheScientificWorldJournal, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 175 citations in OpenAlex.
- Treatment outcomes for substance use disorders across the African continent: a systematic review.BMC psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of the Functional-Cognitive and Sensory Treatment for Improving Daily Functioning of Individuals with Substance Use Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Controlled Trial Examining the Strength-Based Grit Wellbeing and Self-Regulation Program for Young People in Residential Settings for Substance Use.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Therapeutic community-oriented day treatment program for Korean women with alcohol use disorder: a non-randomized pilot feasibility trial.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2022Trial
- Effects of Social Support and 12-Step Involvement on Recovery among People in Continuing Care for Cocaine Dependence.Substance use & misuse · 2019Trial
- Completion rates and psychosocial intervention effectiveness in an Australian substance use therapeutic community.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2018Trial
- Improving the retention rate for residential treatment of substance abuse by sequential intervention for social anxiety.BMC psychiatry · 2014Trial
- Utilizing categorical boosting and SHAP to understand key predictors of frequency of use at discharge for completed substance abuse treatments in TEDS-D.Machine learning. Health · 2026Article
- Would we, could we? Measuring attitudinal and capacity barriers to supporting recovery housing residents on medication for opioid use disorder.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2026Article
- To Leave or Stay? Influences on Early Exit and Completion in a New Zealand Residential Drug Rehabilitation Service.Qualitative health research · 2026Article
- Residential cognitive-behavioral therapy versus therapeutic community for patients with methamphetamine use disorders in the Philippines: A randomized controlled trial.Addictive behaviors reports · 2025Article
- Characteristics linked to mortality risk among individuals with drug use disorders enrolled in drug rehabilitation facilities in Japan.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Article
- Incorporating Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Patient-Reported Experience Measures in Addiction Treatment Services in Belgium: Naturalistic, Longitudinal, Multicenter Cohort Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Risk of Relapse Following Discharge from Non-Hospital Residential Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: A Systematic Review of Studies Published from 2018 to 2022.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2025Review
- Experiences of residents in a therapeutic community model of substance use disorder treatment in a mental hospital in Ghana.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- Views and experiences of involuntary civil commitment of people who use drugs in Massachusetts (Section 35).Drug and alcohol dependence · 2024Article
- Social support networks of incarcerated women with opioid use disorder: Differences associated with jail-based substance use treatment.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Therapeutic communities (TCs) for addictions are drug-free environments in which people with addictive problems live together in an organized and structured way to promote change toward recovery and reinsertion in society. Despite a long research tradition in TCs, the evidence base for the effectiveness of TCs is limited according to available reviews. Since most of these studies applied a selective focus, we made a comprehensive systematic review of all controlled studies that compared the effectiveness of TCs for addictions with that of a control condition. The focus of this paper is on recovery, including attention for various life domains and a longitudinal scope. We searched the following databases: ISI Web of Knowledge (WoS), PubMed, and DrugScope. Our search strategy revealed 997 hits. Eventually, 30 publications were selected for this paper, which were based on 16 original studies. Two out of three studies showed significantly better substance use and legal outcomes among TC participants, and five studies found superior employment and psychological functioning. Length of stay in treatment and participation in subsequent aftercare were consistent predictors of recovery status. We conclude that TCs can promote change regarding various outcome categories. Since recovering addicts often cycle between abstinence and relapse, a continuing care approach is advisable, including assessment of multiple and subjective outcome indicators.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.