This study examined the effect of motivation on therapeutic engagement in criminal justice settings.
The study collected baseline and during-treatment data from 419 probationers remanded to a 6-month modified therapeutic community. The goal of the study was to extend findings from community-based treatment settings by exploring relationships between motivation and engagement in a corrections-based therapeutic community. The study examined the simple relationships between scores on a treatment motivation assessment form and measures of engagement obtained approximately 30 days after entry into treatment. It then assessed the influence of motivation on engagement in a multivariate framework, statistically controlling other factors found to be associated with both constructs. Higher levels of motivation were generally associated with higher levels of personal commitment to the treatment episode. Desire for help and treatment readiness were positively associated with higher degrees of personal involvement, better ratings of personal progress, and stronger feelings of being psychologically safe in the program. Tables, figure, references