Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Predict Successful Completion of Substance Abuse Treatment in a Criminal Justice Sample

Abstract

The goal of this study was to identify predictors of successful substance abuse treatment in an out-patient clinic for individuals being monitored under community corrections supervision. Of the 615 participants, 117 (19%) successfully completed treatment. The results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that successful treatment was associated with several baseline characteristics including: older age, White race, having greater than a high school education, lower level of care, meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder, reporting suicidal ideation, and not having a history of opioid use. The value of self-report of problems and its influence on treatment in the culture of the criminal justice population is discussed in this article.

Keywords :

• criminal justice
• community corrections
• treatment completion
• anxiety
• suicidal ideation

THE AUTHORS

C. Brendan Clark, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research focuses on cooperation, neuroeconomics, and mental health.

Peter S. Hendricks, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He studies addiction with an emphasis on tobacco dependence.

Ashley Brown, MA, is a research technician in the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Infectious Diseases. Her research interests have focused on behavioral and pharmacological treatments for HIV and addiction.

Karen L. Cropsey, PsyD, is an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her Research focuses on understanding and treating addiction and other mental health concerns in a criminal justice population.