Employment as a Predictor of Substance Abuse Treatment Completion

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Ann M. Melvin, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration, presented on June 22, 2011, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: EMPLOYMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT COMPLETION MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Shane Koch Many factors can be attributed to successful treatment completion. The purpose of this research is to examine employment status and mental health status as factors that contribute to successful treatment outcomes. Traditional substance abuse treatment is discussed and shown to lack an employment component to counseling. Research is discussed and illustrates the benefits employment has on not only successful treatment completion but also reduction in substance use and reduction in unemployment as well as many other benefits. Literature also describes the employment barriers encountered by people with substance abuse issues such as lack of employment history and lack of education. A review of traditional treatment models will illustrate a lack of vocational counseling within the suggested goals and objectives. This study utilized extant data from a rural Southern Illinois substance abuse treatment program. Data was collected from the program using the Government Results and Performance Act (GPRA) tool. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the predictor variable of employment and the dichotomous dependent variable of treatment completion while controlling for variables of sex, criminal justice status, and educational level. The Omnibus Tests of Model Coefficients for Block One was not significant (p \u3e .05). The Omnibus Tests of Model Coefficients of Block Two was significant (p \u3c .05) and so was the employment status (p \u3c .05). Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed