Study designs of evaluations included in the review
The inclusion criteria were not explicitly stated. The study designs included in the review were controlled and uncontrolled treatment programmes.
Specific interventions included in the review
The inclusion criteria were not explicitly stated. The interventions included in the review were: methadone maintenance, therapeutic communities, out-patient drug-free programmes, both short and long-term detoxification treatments, naloxone treatment, acupuncture, herbal therapy, counselling, family support groups, milieu therapy, group therapy and individual therapy.
Participants included in the review
The inclusion criteria specified adolescents or young adults who were users of opiates or heroin. Studies of groups of 20 or more participants with a mean age of 21 years or less were eligible. The studies included in the review were conducted in the UK, USA and Mexico.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The inclusion criteria were not explicitly stated. The outcomes assessed in the review included: methadone maintenance, achievement of abstinence, duration of abstinence, frequency of drug use, recent use of drugs, retention within a programme, productive activities, employment and the use of nonopioids.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.