The Impact of Acculturation, Motivation, and the Therapeutic Alliance on Treatment Retention and Outcomes for Hispanic Drug-Involved Probationers

Abstract

Factors associated with retention and outcomes for Hispanic offenders mandated to treatment for substance use disorders have been overlooked in the literature, resulting in an impediment to providing evidence-based, culturally relevant treatment services. This project examined the roles of motivational factors, the therapeutic relationship, and acculturation in predicting treatment retention and recidivism among Hispanic male probationers mandated to residential treatment. By following a treatment cohort over 120 days, this research identifies factors that may be targeted to improve interventions and policies. The following conclusion is supported: Among Hispanic offenders, the number of days in treatment is positively related to motivation to change and level of acculturation.

KEYTERMS:

• Drugs
• recidivism
• probation
• ethnicity

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by Award No. P20MD003942 from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The content is solely my own responsibility and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities or the National Institutes of Health.