The impact of employment on treatment completion rates with DWI offenders

Abstract

Drivers under the influence of alcohol cause nearly one third of all fatal motor vehicle accidents. Ambulatory outpatient alcohol use disorder treatment has been clinically shown to increase abstinence, which could decrease the chance of subsequent DWI offences. Aiding clients in successful completion of this treatment is imperative to lower the recidivism rates of DWI offenses. The research question focused on if employment status can predict successful outpatient treatment completion in court mandated adults. The TEDS-D archival data set was used, consisting of data collected between 2006—2011 from federally funded substance abuse treatment centers throughout the USA. The variables of treatment level, gender, employment status, and age were used as controls. A logistic regression using a random sample of 4947 participants determined employment status was significant. The variable of age was also a significant predictor of treatment completion. Court and treatment agencies can use this information to offer more employment support to increase chances of treatment completion.