Date of Award

1-1-2009

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

School of Criminal Justice

Content Description

1 online resource (vii, 192 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

David E. Duffee

Committee Members

Alan Lizotte, Dana Peterson, Brenda Smith, Kevin Wright

Keywords

Climate Perceptions, Interventions, Treatment Congruence, Youth Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs), Adolescent psychotherapy, Patient compliance

Subject Categories

Criminology

Abstract

This dissertation research focuses on clients' perceptions of treatment climate in youth's residential treatment centers (RTCs). It explores how clients perceive the treatment environment differently and the impact of these climate perceptions and the other key treatment process component--the treatment interventions/services, on both in- and post-program treatment outcomes. An important hypothesis of "treatment congruence" is tested, in which treatment is expected to be more effective when these climate perceptions are congruent with treatment interventions/services in their effects on client. Data come from a longitudinal pilot study of 130 youth and families from two RTCs, with detailed measures of their treatment experience. Empirical evidence of both treatment "congruence" and "incongruence" is found and complex individual change patterns are revealed, leading to the conclusion that treating all clients as a whole in the analysis would only show the average treatment pattern and might hide some critical information regarding different changes experienced by different client groups. Findings of this study provide insights about RTC treatment process and potentials of using them to guide or improve practice, and advance knowledge of youth residential treatment.

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