RT Article
T1 Predicting Attrition and Engagement in the Treatment of Young Offenders
JF International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology
VO 64
IS 4
SP 355
OP 374
A1 Carl, Lena
A2 Lösel, Friedrich 1945-
A2 Schmucker, Martin 1972-
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1690385464
AB Premature treatment termination in offender treatment is linked to negative consequences for clients, practitioners, and the criminal justice system. Therefore, identifying predictors of treatment attrition is a crucial issue in offender rehabilitation. Most studies on this topic focus on adult offenders; less is known about adolescent offenders. In our study, therapy attrition and engagement were predicted via logistic and linear regression to examine the link between pretreatment variables, engagement, and treatment failure in 161 young offenders treated in a social-therapeutic unit in Germany. Engagement could be predicted by motivation, disruptive childhood behavior, low aggressiveness, and higher age. In turn, low motivation, substance abuse, and young age predicted attrition, but their impact diminished when engagement was added to the model with only substance abuse remaining significant. The effect of substance abuse on attrition disappeared, when the offender's initial motivation was high. Implications for assessment and treatment planning are discussed.
K1 Offender treatment
K1 Young offenders
K1 Social-therapeutic treatment
K1 Treatment attrition
K1 Dropout
K1 Engagement
K1 Motivation
DO 10.1177/0306624X19877593