This study evaluated the effectiveness of abstinence-contingent wage supplements in promoting alcohol abstinence and employment in adults experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder. A randomized clinical trial was conducted from 2019 to 2022. After a 1-month Induction period, 119 participants were randomly assigned to a Usual Care Control group (n = 57) or an Abstinence-Contingent Wage Supplement group (n = 62). Usual Care participants were offered counseling and referrals to employment and treatment programs. Abstinence-Contingent Wage Supplement participants could earn stipends for working with an employment specialist and wage supplements for working in a community job but had to maintain abstinence from alcohol as determined by transdermal alcohol concentration monitoring devices to maximize pay. Abstinence-Contingent Wage Supplement participants reported significantly higher rates of alcohol abstinence than Usual Care participants during the 6-month intervention (82.8% vs. 60.2% of months, OR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.8 to 6.3, p < .001). Abstinence-Contingent Wage Supplement participants were also significantly more likely to obtain employment (51.3% vs. 31.6% of months, OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.5 to 4.4, p < .001) and live out of poverty (38.2% vs. 16.7% of months, OR = 3.7, 95% CI 2.0 to 7.1, p < .001) than Usual Care participants. These findings suggest that Abstinence-Contingent Wage Supplements can promote alcohol abstinence and employment in adults experiencing homelessness and alcohol use disorder. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03519009.

Suppressing HIV viral loads to undetectable levels is essential for ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We evaluated randomized controlled trials aimed to increase antiretroviral medication adherence and promote undetectable viral loads among people living with HIV through November 22, 2019. We extracted data from 51 eligible interventions and analyzed the results using random effects models to compare intervention effects between groups within each intervention and across interventions. We also evaluated the relation between publication date and treatment effects. Only five interventions increased undetectable viral loads significantly. As a whole, the analyzed interventions were superior to Standard of Care in promoting undetectable viral loads. Interventions published more recently were not more effective in promoting undetectable viral loads. No treatment category consistently produced significant increases in undetectable viral loads. To end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we should use interventions that can suppress HIV viral loads to undetectable levels.

Background: Promoting employment among unemployed adults with substance use disorder is a difficult challenge for which existing interventions have had limited effects. This study examined whether financial incentives could increase engagement in employment services for unemployed adults in treatment for opioid use disorder. Methods: The study was conducted from 2014 to 2019 in Baltimore, MD. After a 3-month abstinence initiation and training period, participants (N = 91) were randomly assigned to a Control group or an Incentive group and were invited to work with an employment specialist to seek employment in a community job for 12 months. Participants assigned to the Control group (n = 47) did not receive incentives for working with the employment specialist. Participants assigned to the Incentive group (n = 44) could earn financial incentives for working with the employment specialist, but had to provide opiate- and cocaine-negative urine samples to maximize pay. Results: Incentive participants attended the employment services and worked with the employment specialist on significantly more days than Control participants (41.8 % versus 1.1 % of days; OR = 40.42, 95 % CI = 32.46-48.38, p < .001), and for significantly more hours than Control participants (3.58 versus 1.25 h, on average; OR = 2.34, 95 % CI =1.83 - 2.85, p < .001). Incentive participants were more likely to be retained than Control participants when analyses were based solely on attendance (HR = 0.12, 95 % CI = 0.06 - 0.25, p < .001) and attendance and employment combined (FIR = 0.15, 95 % CI= 0.07 -0.31, p < .001). Conclusions: Financial incentives were effective in promoting engagement in employment services for individuals who often do not utilize employment services.

Poverty is common among people who have substance use disorder. The therapeutic workplace addresses some of the interrelated and chronic problems of poverty, such as unemployment, lack of education and job skills, and drug use. A prior controlled trial showed that the therapeutic workplace was effective in promoting drug abstinence and self-reported community employment in unemployed adults in medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. The current study extends this research by providing a detailed and objective analysis of employment outcomes using objective data abstracted from participants' pay stubs. Secondary analyses examined the types and patterns of employment that participants (N = 44) obtained during the trial, and the extent to which participants gained and maintained financially sufficient employment. Although most participants had relatively long histories of unemployment and underemployment, many participants (n = 26; 59%) obtained employment at some point during the intervention. Most participants worked part time and were employed in low-wage jobs, however. The mean number of hours worked per week was 20.6 h (range 5.5 to 41.3 h per week) and the mean hourly pay was $11.00 per hour (range $9.00 to $15.50 per hour). The most common type of employment was in food preparation and serving-related occupations (e.g., waiters and waitresses, restaurant cooks, and fast food counter workers). Many participants (n = 17; 65%) maintained employment in these jobs over several weeks, while others (n = 9; 35%) were employed sporadically for short durations. Additional supports may be needed for some chronically unemployed adults with substance use disorder to promote consistent employment in well-paying jobs.