DROP-OUT PATTERNS IN A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY - BEHAVIOR THAT DOES NOT CORRELATE WITH BACKGROUND AND SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR MOTIVATION

• NCJ Number: 34375
• Journal: Corrective and Social Psychiatry Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: (1975) Pages: 2-6
• Author(s): B SUGARMAN
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: Martin Psychiatric Research Foundation, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

ANALYSIS OF 16 CLIENT BACKGROUND VARIABLES TO TEST THEIR CORRELATION WITH DROPOUT RATES IN TWO RESIDENTIAL DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAMS.

Abstract

STUDIED WERE ALL (209) CLIENTS ADMITTED TO MARATHON HOUSE, A NEW ENGLAND BASED AGENCY OPERATING RESIDENTIAL THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY DRUG PROGRAMS, IN THE YEAR OF 1972 AND CLIENTS FROM DAYTOP VILLAGE, A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY DRUG PROGRAM IN NEW YORK. THE VARIABLES TESTED INCLUDED SEX, AGE, ETHNIC GROUP, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, YEARS OF DRUG USE, VOLUNTARY VERSUS COURT MOTIVATION, AND DRUG OF PRIMARY USE. IN MARATHON HOUSE, ONLY ONE VARIABLE WAS TESTED AS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT-EHTNIC GROUP. IN THE DAYTOP PROGRAM, DISADVANTAGED CLIENTS (OLDER, BLACK OR PUERTO RICAN, MORE YEARS OF DRUG USE) WERE MORE LIKELY TO REMAIN IN THE PROGRAM THAN OTHERS. IN AN EFFORT TO INTERPRET THIS DIFFERENCE IN DIRECTION OF DROPOUT PATTERNS OF THE TWO THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITIES, THE AUTHOR CONSIDERS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEAR-ORIENTED AND HOPE-ORIENTED APPROACHES TO TREATMENT AND SUGGESTS AREAS OF FUTURE RESEARCH, ALSO EXAMINED IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COURT-RELATED CLIENTS AND PERSONS WHO ENTERED THE PROGRAMS VOLUNTARILY.