title: Do therapist cultural characteristics influence the outcome of substance abuse treatment for Spanish-speaking adults?
abstract: This secondary data analysis of the Clinical Trials Network's Motivational Enhancement Therapy effectiveness trial with Spanish-speaking substance users examined whether the degree of birthplace and acculturation similarities between clients and therapists, as well as the therapists' own level of acculturation and birthplace were related to the clients' participation in treatment and level of substance use during outpatient substance use treatment. Sixteen therapists and their 235 clients from the larger effectiveness trial were included in the analyses for this study. Results of the multilevel regression models for client participation in substance use treatment and client days of substance use, taking into account within and between therapist cultural characteristics, revealed that birthplace match and acculturation similarity between each therapist and his or her clients did not predict client outcomes. Instead, therapists' birthplace and level of acculturation independently predicted days of substance use, but not treatment participation for monolingual Spanish-speaking clients. These findings are discussed in the context of the results of the main effectiveness trial and of psychotherapy research with ethnic minority populations, in particular Hispanic minorities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami.
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Suarez-Morales
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bedregal
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8637-9223
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Center Office of Community Affairs, University of New Mexico.
authors.forename: Ivette Y
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Cuzmar
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paris
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6172-7460
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Feaster
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3263-3374
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szapocznik
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000078329:Workforce