| Abstract: | Abstract Juvenile delinquents are frequently referred to community mental health centers (CMHCs) for family treatment as part of their probation. Whether these court-referred or court-ordered delinquents attend regularly enough to benefit from treatment is not known, nor are factors that predict which delinquents drop out. The records of 150 families from three CMHCs in rural southeastern Ohio were reviewed to determine rate of attrition and to identify demographic and situational variables that differentiate families who either drop out of or remain in court-referred and court-ordered family therapy. A 37% drop out rate was comparable to that of adult individual, child and adolescent, family, and group psychotherapy. The median number of sessions attended (5) is considered to be far below the minimal “dose” needed to demonstrate positive effects of family therapy. Families who remained in therapy had fathers present more often in therapy sessions. Type of court referral (referred or ordered) and presenting identified patient problems and behaviors in therapy. One of the three CMHCs was more sucessful at retaining the three CMHCs was more successful at retaining families in therapy. Characteristics of this center included frequent communication, coordination, and follow-up efforts by therapists and juvenile court officials following a family's court referral into therapy. Suggestions are made for juvenile court officials and mental health professionals to increase the probability of retaining these court-involved families in therapy long enough to effect change in their dysfunctional behavior. |
