title: Commitment language and homework completion in a behavioral employment program for gang-affiliated youth.
abstract: Research with substance-abusing samples suggests that eliciting commitment language during treatment may improve motivation to change, increase treatment engagement, and promote positive treatment outcomes. However, the relationship between in-session client language and treatment success is not well-understood for youth offender populations. This study evaluated the relationship between commitment language, treatment engagement (i.e., homework completion), and weekly employment outcomes for six gang-affiliated juvenile offenders participating in an employment counseling intervention. Weekly counseling sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded for commitment language strength. Multilevel models were fit to the data to examine the relationship between commitment language and counseling homework or employment outcomes within participants over time. Commitment language strength predicted subsequent homework completion but not weekly employment. These findings imply that gang-affiliated delinquent youth who express motivation to change during employment counseling will be more likely to comply with counselor-initiated homework. Further research on counselor techniques for promoting commitment language among juvenile gang offenders is needed.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA caitlias@usc.edu.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Stanley J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Huey
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Dawn D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: McDaniel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D003376:Counseling; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010379:Peer Group; D014830:Vocational Guidance
keywords: engagement; homework assignments; motivation; offenders; psychotherapy process