title: Motivation to change alcohol use and treatment engagement in incarcerated youth.
abstract: Adolescents have been reported to be less motivated to engage and remain in substance abuse treatment than adults. When they appear motivated, it is often due to external motivators such as family pressure or court mandated treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine if adolescents' motivation to change alcohol use was related to treatment engagement while incarcerated and alcohol use after release. Participants (N=114) were youth in a state correctional facility in the Northeast and included adolescents who engaged in at least monthly drinking. Motivation to change alcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Ladder (AL), and treatment engagement was measured by the Treatment Participation Questionnaire (comprised of positive and negative treatment engagement). Measures were administered at baseline, 2 months in facility follow up, and 3 months post release follow up. Analysis indicated acceptable test-retest stability (r=.388, p≤.001). The AL at 3 months post release significantly predicted quantity and frequency of alcohol use after release. The AL at baseline also significantly predicted positive and negative treatment engagement at 2 months into incarceration (i.e., 2 months in facility follow up) indicating predictive validity. These results suggest that the AL is a reliable, valid, and useful instrument for incarcerated youth.
authors.affiliation: Rhode Island Training School, 300 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI, 02920, United States; University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, United States. Electronic address: mclair@uri.edu.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clair
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States; Rhode Island Training School, 300 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI, 02920, United States; University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, United States.
authors.forename: L A R
authors.initials: LAR
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States.
authors.forename: Rosemarie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States.
authors.forename: Nancy P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States.
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Colby
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States; Veterans Administration Medical Center, 830 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, RI 02908, United States.
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addictions Studies, Brown University, 121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, United States; Rhode Island Training School, 300 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI, 02920, United States; University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, United States.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Golembeske
authors.affiliation: University of Rhode Island, 2 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, United States.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lebeau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult