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ABSTRACT
While juvenile drug courts (JDCs) require treatment participation, youth and parent engagement in treatment cannot be mandated. We compared youths' and parents' self-reports of engagement in Risk Reduction Therapy for Adolescents (RRTA) and Treatment as Usual (TAU) in JDCs. Parents and youths receiving RRTA were more likely than those receiving TAU to report high engagement in treatment. High parent engagement in RRTA early in treatment predicted fewer missed appointments and lower youth substance use at three months. Emphasizing therapeutic techniques that increase parent engagement, as utilized in RRTA, could lead to improved participation and clinical outcomes in court-mandated treatment settings.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Jennifer Smith Powell for her assistance with project and data management, as well as Tamar Mendelson, Sarah Murray, Angela Lee-Winn, Stacy Lloyd, Emma Stokes, and Kate Musliner for providing feedback on early drafts of the manuscript.
Funding
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01DA025880, T32DA007292, T32DA031099, and P50DA035763. Dr. Mauro is currently supported by T32DA031099. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.