Retention in Psychosocial Services Knowledge Item 15: Results from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Innovative Models of Care

Knowledge Item: CA-Retention in Psychosocial Services-15
Retention as a Function of Total Service Needs and Vulnerabilities

Cox regression for proportional hazards, a type of survival analysis, was used to study the time that clients in ten programs were retained in psychosocial services. Pooling the data in the programs, and controlling for site differences, the effects of total service needs and vulnerabilities on program retention were studied. Pooling across all projects, there was no significant effect of total service needs and vulnerabilities (of 15) on time in program after controlling for site and gender differences. Once site differences are controlled, the projects appear to be equally successful in retaining clients with HIV/AIDS who have various levels of need and vulnerability.

The following set of program retention ("survival") curves estimated from a Cox regression are for clients with different number of total needs and vulnerabilities. There is no significant difference in retention times for relatively "high" or "low" need clients: the overall significance test and all contrasts between pairs of curves are not significant. Note that these curves correct for programs and client gender.

Knowledge Item Citation: Huba, G. J., Melchior, L. A., Panter, A. T., and the HRSA/HAB SPNS Cooperative Agreement Steering Committee (1998-2001). Knowledge Item: CA-Retention in Psychosocial Services-15 from HRSA/HAB's SPNS Cooperative Agreements on Innovative Models of Care, The Measurement Group Knowledge Base on HIV/AIDS Care, Online at www.TheMeasurementGroup.com.

Last Updated: March 25, 2005; data through June 15, 1999; analyses conducted December 1999 and June 2000.

Knowledge Base Citation: The Knowledge Base and this Knowledge Item were designed and authored by G. J. Huba, Ph.D.; in collaboration with Lisa A. Melchior, Ph.D.; A. T. Panter, Ph.D.; and the staff of The Measurement Group. Cite this work as "Huba, G. J., Melchior, L. A., and Panter, A. T. (1998 - 2001). The Measurement Group Knowledge Base on HIV/AIDS Care. On the World Wide Web: http://www.TheMeasurementGroup.com."

Questions or Comments: Contact The Measurement Group.

Use of Knowledge Base Information: Acceptable Uses and Limitations.

Collaborators from Participating Projects: Cooperative Agreement Steering Committee 1999.

Participating Projects: This Knowledge Base is based on the service delivery experiences of 27 Cooperative Agreement Projects on Innovative Models of HIV/AIDS Care. These projects and the Evaluation and Dissemination Center which produced this Knowledge Base were funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) as Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) between 1994 and 1999. Click the Model Programs button above for descriptions of the projects that contributed to this specific Knowledge Item, a list of key staff, and project grant numbers.

Why This Evaluation was Conducted: Editorial.

More Information: Design of this Knowledge Base.

Recommended Citation Format for Web Materials: American Psychological Association Publication Manual Section, Revised 2001.

Work on the Knowledge Base and the cross-cutting evaluation was supported in part by Grant Number 5 U90 HA 00030-05 from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau's (HAB) Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS). The contents of this Knowledge Base are solely the responsibility of The Measurement Group and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA or HRSA/HAB's Special Projects of National Significance nor may they represent the positions of the individual grantees whose projects are included in the cross-cutting evaluation.