The Moderating Effect of Substance Abuse Treatment Engagement on the Connection Between Support From Program Participants and Substance-Related Recidivism for Justice-Involved Women

• Published date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19863218
• Date: 01 September 2020
• Author: Marva V. Goodson,Merry Morash,Deborah A. Kashy
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X19863218

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2020, Vol. 64(12) 1217 –1235

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X19863218

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Article

The Moderating Effect of

Substance Abuse Treatment

Engagement on the

Connection Between Support

From Program Participants

and Substance-Related

Recidivism for Justice-Involved

Women

Marva V. Goodson1, Merry Morash1,

and Deborah A. Kashy1

Abstract

This study examines the prediction of substance-related technical violations

and arrests from (a) a three-dimensional measure of substance abuse treatment

engagement—treatment satisfaction, treatment participation, and counselor

rapport—and (b) support from peers in the treatment program. The study focuses

on 204 women on probation or parole who attended a substance abuse treatment

program in the first 9 months of supervision. Data were collected in face-to-face

interviews and from official records of violations and arrests. Generalized linear

mixed-effects modeling was used to assess the main effects and the interaction

effect of within-program peer support and other indicators of engagement as

predictors of substance-related technical violations and arrests. Peer support

was positively related to violations/arrests when treatment engagement was low.

Findings suggest that for women who do not score high in treatment engagement,

support from peers is related to increased recidivism, and group treatment may

be contraindicated.

1Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

Corresponding Author:

Marva V. Goodson, Graduate Student, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 655

Auditorium Rd., Baker Hall Room 560, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

Email: Goodson4@msu.edu

863218IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X19863218International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyGoodson et al.

research-article2019

1218 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 64(12)

Keywords

women in the criminal justice system, substance abuse treatment, peer support,

treatment engagement

Introduction

There is a well-established relationship between substance use and crime (Bennett &

Holloway, 2009; Bennett, Holloway, & Farrington, 2008; Exum, 2002; Lurigio &

Swartz, 1999; Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2013). For example, a high

proportion of prison inmates have reported being under the influence of a drug at the

time that the offense was committed and/or committing crimes to obtain money for

drugs (Mumola & Karberg, 2006). For justice-involved women, substance-depen-

dency is especially common. Women, in comparison with men, report more frequent

substance use, abuse of substances which are more detrimental to one’s health, and

differing reasons for substance use (Guerino, Harrison, & Sabol, 2011; Harlow, 1999;

Langan & Pelissier, 2001; Mumola & Karberg, 2006). Especially for women, negative

interpersonal relationships characterized by childhood physical and sexual abuse and

abuse from intimate partners are often precursors to women’s substance abuse, which

in turn contributes to illegal behavior (Blanchette & Brown, 2006; Cobbina, Huebner,

& Berg, 2012; Grella, Stein, & Greenwell, 2005; Harlow, 1999; Kreis, Gillings,

Svanberg, & Schwannauer, 2016; Leverentz, 2006). Considering justice-involved

women’s high and unique involvement in substance abuse, it is important that their

experiences in substance abuse treatment programs and their posttreatment outcomes

are considered in research.

In an effort to address justice-involved individuals’ substance abuse problems,

judges and probation and parole agents require or advise many women under correc-

tional supervision to attend substance abuse treatment programs. In fact, the criminal

justice system is the second largest referral source for treatment admission to state

substance abuse treatment agencies, only outnumbered by individual/self-admissions

(Smith & Strashny, 2016). This advisement strategy is not misguided. Substance abuse

treatment programming has been shown to be effective in reducing the rate at which

substance-abusing individuals reoffend and use substances (Dowden & Blanchette,

2002; Gossop, Trakada, Stewart, & Witton, 2005; Griffith, Knight, Joe, & Simpson,

1998; Matheson, Doherty, & Grant, 2011; Pérez, 2009; Prendergast, Podus, Chang, &

Urada, 2002; Stanton-Tindall et al., 2007; Strauss & Falkin, 2001; Yang et al., 2013).

However, there are aspects of the treatment experience that require further examina-

tion. In comparison with the assessment of the effects of treatment attendance on post-

treatment outcomes, studies assessing the effects of treatment process variables (e.g.,

rapport with the counselor in treatment and peer support from other participants) on

posttreatment outcomes are limited.

Treatment process research is valuable in identifying the specific features of treat-

ment that explain the effect of substance abuse treatment on continued use and other

illegal behavior. Attending treatment programs may increase individuals’ vulnerability

to interactions with substance abusing peers who are not committed to abstaining from