title: Verbal abilities as predictors of retention among adolescents in a therapeutic community.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: Jeffrey J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Frances R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: Edward V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Nunes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D014705:Verbal Behavior