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Verbal abilities as predictors of retention among adolescents in a therapeutic community.

Wilson JJ, Levin FR, Donovan SJ, Nunes EV

Department of Psychiatry, Division on Substance Abuse, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, Box 66, New York, NY 10032, USA. jjw109@columbia.edu

The relationship between verbal skills and retention among adolescents in substance abuse treatment is understudied. In order to assess verbal predictors of retention, twenty-eight 16-19 year old adolescents in a therapeutic community for substance abuse were evaluated between 30 and 90 days after admission. These adolescents were then followed prospectively for 1 year. Verbal and non-verbal cognitive screens, audio taped narrative responses, and self-reports of socio-emotional function and psychiatric symptoms were completed. Verbal scores were associated with self-restraint and counselor reports of therapeutic engagement and comprehension. General verbal scores predicted attrition, while therapeutic expressiveness (verbal expressiveness in a therapeutic context) predicted retention. Remediation of verbal communication skills may be an overlooked aspect of the therapeutic process in treating adolescent substance abusers.

Published 3 July 2006 in Child Psychiatry Hum Dev, 36(4): 393-401.
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