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Last Updated:  December 20, 2007

2007 Journal Publications

Bender, K., Thompson, S. J., McManus, H., Lantry, J., and Flynn, P. M. (2007).   Capacity for survival: Exploring strengths of homeless street youth. Child and Youth Care Forum, 36, 25-42.  (full text available electronically at http://www.springerlink.com/content/3568387w52834528/fulltext.pdf). 

Abstract:   Research on homeless youth, a particularly vulnerable population, has primarily focused on their numerous problems.   In the current study, which recognizes the hazards of life on the streets, personal strengths and informal resources street youth rely on to navigate their environments are identified and discussed.   Focus groups were conducted with street youth ages 18–24 and qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.   Three important themes were established: developing “street smarts,” existence of personal strengths, and informal resources relied upon by youth to survive.   It was concluded that the strengths of homeless youth can be useful to providers in determining service needs that may be targeted for increasing the likelihood of long-term positive outcomes.
 

Garner, B. R., Knight, K., Simpson, D. D., & Flynn, P. M.  (2007).  Burnout among corrections-based drug treatment staff:  Impact of individual and organizational factors.  International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 51(5), 510-522.

Joe, G. W., Flynn, P. M., Broome, K. M., & Simpson, D. D.  (2007).  Patterns of drug use and expectations in methadone patients.  Addictive Behaviors, 32, 1640-1656.

Abstract:  For patients in drug treatment, recovery should be manifested in changes in drug use and in cognitive perceptions of being able to refrain from use.  Expectations about future drug behavior were studied in regard to co-occurring and subsequent behavior.  Latent patterns of the longitudinal relationship between drug use expectation and illegal drug use during treatment were identified in the sample of 497 patients in community-based outpatient methadone treatment:  Improvers (48%), Decliners (33%), and Continuing Users (19%).  The utility of the latent patterns was shown through their relationship to treatment engagement, where Continuing Users had lower counseling rapport and time in treatment, and on drug use measures at follow-up.  Additional analyses of expectations with measures of opioid use, cocaine use, or criminality yielded similar results.  Expectations about future drug use were found to be a useful measure of cognitive change corresponding to drug use change.  Its potential as a brief treatment management tool is noted.

Shields, J. J., Broome, K. M., Delany, P. J., Fletcher, B. W., & Flynn, P. M.  (2007).  Religion and substance abuse treatment:  Individual and program effects. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 46(3), 355-371.

Abstract: Recently, the relationship between personal religiousness and substance abuse treatment outcomes has gained increased attention in the public health arena.  Utilizing the “moral community” perspective of Stark, Kent and Doyle (1982) to frame possible contextual effects of religion, we explore the degree to which personal religiousness and treatment program characteristics influence two drug treatment outcome measures – critical retention and commitment to treatment.  The data include 8,494 clients from 70 programs in the national Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies (DATOS).  Three research questions were addressed:  (1) what is the relationship between an individual’s level of religiosity and their retention and commitment to treatment?  (2) How does the ecological context within the treatment program shape the individual-level relationships?  (3) To what extent is program religious emphasis directly linked to outcome levels?  The findings are consistent with earlier literature showing a weak to moderate relationship overall between religiosity and treatment outcomes.  However, there was wide variation in the size of the individual level religiosity-treatment correlations across programs.  Support for the “moral community” hypothesis was mixed, as size of the correlations depended significantly on the overall religiosity of program clientele, but not on the formal religious emphasis of the programs.  Further research is needed in order to fully understand the role of religion in substance abuse treatment.

 
Simpson, D. D., & Dansereau, D. F.  (2007).  Assessing organizational functioning as a step toward innovation.  Science & Practice Perspectives, April, 20-28.  (full text available electronically at http://www.drugabuse.gov/PDF/Perspectives/vol3no2/Assessing.pdf).  [Abstract]

Abstract:  Innovate and adapt are watchwords for substance abuse treatment programs in today’s environment of legislative mandates, effective new interventions, and competition.  Organizations are having to evolve, ready or not—with those that are ready having superior chances for success and survival.  The Texas Christian University Organizational Readiness for Change (ORC) survey is a freely available instrument, with supporting materials, that substance abuse treatment programs use to self-assess for organizational traits that can hinder or doom efforts at transition.  This article presents organizational change as a four-stage process of adopting, implementing, and routinizing new procedures; describes the use of the ORC; and outlines a step-by-step procedure for clearing away potential obstacles before setting forth on the road to improved practices and outcomes.
  

Thompson, S. J., Bender, K., Lantry, J., & Flynn, P. M. (2007).  Treatment engagement: Building therapeutic alliance in home-based treatment with adolescents and their families.  Contemporary Family Therapy, 29(1/2), 39-55.

Abstract:  Client engagement is an integral component of effective treatment.  Engaging clients in their therapy is likely to facilitate bonding with therapists and counselors, endorsement of treatment goals, a greater degree of participation, longer treatment retention, and reports of greater satisfaction with therapy.  In this study the process of engaging high-risk youth and their parents in a unique home-based family therapy intervention was explored through the use of qualitative interviews with 19 families who completed family therapy sessions which were supplemented with activities designed to increase treatment engagement.  Findings suggest the importance of developing therapeutic alliances with counselors who help to build shared alliances among family members.
  

Thompson, S. J., Kim, J., McManus, H., Flynn, P., & Kim, H.  (2007).  Peer relationships:  A comparison of homeless youth in the USA and South Korea.  International Social Work, 50(6), 783-795.

Simpson, D. D., & Knight, K. (Guest Eds.). (2007).  Offender needs and functioning assessments (Special Issue). Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1105-1234.

1) Simpson, D. D., & Knight, K.  (Guest Eds.).  (2007).  Offender needs and functioning assessments from a national program (Special Issue).  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1105-1112.

Abstract:  In 2002, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded the “Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies” (CJ-DATS) cooperative agreement.  A key objective of this initiative included the goal of studying how treatment effectiveness is achieved with regard to therapeutic, organizational, and managerial processes.  To this end, the CJ-DATS “Performance Indicators for Corrections (PIC)” multi-center protocol centered on studies of client performance indicators, focusing on the evaluation of the TCU Criminal Justice Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment (CJ CEST) and the NDRI Client Assessment Inventory (CAI) in diverse correctional settings.  This special issue describes these studies, representing one of the first of several sets of studies being prepared as part of CJ-DATS.
  

2) Garner, B. R., Knight, K., Flynn, P. M., Morey, J. T., & Simpson, D. D.  (2007).  Measuring offender attributes and engagement in treatment using the Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1113-1130.

Abstract:  Monitoring drug abuse treatment delivery and progress requires the use of reliable and valid instruments to measure client motivation, psychosocial and cognitive functioning, and other treatment process dynamics.  As part of the CJ-DATS protocol to examine client performance indicators for corrections-based treatment populations, this study examined psychometric properties of the TCU Criminal Justice Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment (CJ CEST).  The sample included 3,266 offenders from 26 corrections-based treatment programs located in 6 states.  Overall, the client assessment demonstrated good reliabilities at individual and program levels, and in test-retest administrations.  Additionally, evidence for construct validity was favorable.  The CJ CEST is a brief yet comprehensive instrument that effectively and efficiently measures client needs and functioning at intake.  It also is appropriate for use during treatment to monitor client progress over time.
  

3) Sacks, J., McKendrick, M., & Kressel, D. (2007).  Measuring offender progress in treatment using the Client Assessment Inventory.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1131-1142.

  
4)  Staton-Tindall, M., Garner, B. R., Morey, J. T., Leukefeld, C., Krietemeyer, J., Saum, C. A., & Oser, C. B.  (2007).  Gender differences in treatment engagement among a sample of incarcerated substance abusers.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1143-1156.

Abstract:  Gender differences have been noted for patterns of drug use, psychological functioning, and criminal thinking, as well as for factors associated with treatment entry, retention, and outcomes among substance abusers.  However, research seldom has focused on psychosocial attributes associated with treatment engagement among male and female substance abusers, and how those factors might differ across gender-specific treatment programs.  This study was based on 2,774 male and female substance abusers participating in 20 prison-based treatment programs located in 5 different states.  Gender also was examined as a moderator of the relationship between psychosocial and criminal thinking variables with treatment engagement.  Findings showed that inmates in female treatment programs reported more severe psychosocial dysfunction, less criminal thinking, and more favorable treatment engagement than did their male counterparts, and there was a stronger negative relationship between psychosocial functioning and treatment engagement as well.  Implications for treatment interventions with a gender-specific focus are discussed.

5)  Dembo, R., Turner, C. W., & Jainchill, N. (2007).  An assessment of criminal thinking among incarcerated youths in three States.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1157-1167. 
   

6) Saum, C. A., O’Connell, D. J., Martin, S. S., Hiller, M. L., Bacon, G. A., & Simpson, D. D.  (2007).  Tempest in a TC:  Changing treatment providers for in-prison therapeutic communities.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1168-1178.

Abstract:  Corrections officials frequently use private contractors to operate in-prison therapeutic community (TC) treatment programs.  However, the use of competitive bidding in contracting for these services results occasionally in treatment provider changes.  Few studies have focused on whether or not such change affects offender treatment experiences, particularly with respect to client motivation and treatment engagement.  Quantitative assessments of offender functioning were made at two points in time during the course of treatment provider change.  In 3 in-prison TC treatment facilities that experienced a tumultuous change in provider, there was a decrease in client-counselor rapport and peer support ratings, as well as a drop in client scores on treatment readiness, participation, and satisfaction during the 1-year evaluation period.  Interviews with offenders and staff amplified concerns over the disruptions that took place.  After reviewing evidence from comparison programs that avoided similar disruptions in client functioning, strategies are recommended for better provider transition planning.

7)  Roberts, E. A., Contois, M. W., Willis, J. C., Sr., Worthington, M. R., & Knight, K.  (2007).  Assessing offender needs and performance for planning and monitoring criminal justice drug treatment.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1179-1187.

Abstract:  With rising concerns about the use of treatment coercion in both correctional and community settings, increased awareness and focus is being placed on "motivation for change" and "treatment readiness" as dynamic factors relevant to individual treatment planning.  Additionally, within corrections-based treatment populations, the need for targeting criminal thinking and attitudes as primary treatment issues also has been well established.  The importance of these issues to the effectiveness of treatment programming highlights the need for instruments that can reliably assess offender risk and needs, guide the treatment planning process, and monitor progress over time.  This study documents how the TCU CJ CEST and CTS instruments were used to inform treatment planning and service delivery within a large, intensive therapeutic community program in the state of Virginia.

8)  Farabee, D., Knight, K., Garner, B. R., & Calhoun, S.  (2007).  The Inmate Pre-Release Assessment for re-entry planning.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1188-1197.

Abstract:  The Inmate Pre-Release Assessment (IPASS) was developed specifically as a measure of post-release risks for prison-based substance abuse treatment graduates.  By taking into account historical drug use and criminal activity of inmates as well as their performance during prison-based treatment, the IPASS calculates a “priority” score indicating the relative need for more (versus less) intensive treatment services upon release.  The present study used data from offenders paroling from prisons in a Southwest (N = 127) and Midwest (N = 75) state to examine psychometric properties of the IPASS subscales.  All components showed strong internal consistency, with reliability coefficients above .80 for the TCU Drug Screen, Client Evaluation of Treatment, and Counselor Evaluation of Client scales.  In addition, construct validity ranged from good to excellent.  The paper discusses further research being conducted to refine how the client and counselor scales are incorporated functionally into the IPASS priority score and how these scores will be examined in relation to aftercare participation and post-release outcomes.
  

9)  Sacks, S., Melnick, G., Coen, C., Banks, S., Friedmann, P. D., Grella, C., Knight, K., & Zlotnick, C. (2007).  CJDATS Co-Occurring Disorders Screening Instrument for Mental Disorders:  A validation study.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1198-1215.
  

10)  Taxman, F. S., Cropsey, K. L., Young, D. W., & Wexler, H. (2007).  Screening, assessment, and referral practices in adult correctional settings:   A national perspective.  Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(9), 1216-1234.
 

Special Issue:  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment

Simpson, D. D., & Flynn, P. M.  (Guest Eds.).  (2007).  Organizational Readiness for Change (Special Issue).  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2).

1)  Simpson, D. D., & Flynn, P. M.  (2007).  Moving innovations into treatment:  A stage-based approach to program change.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 111-120. 

Abstract:  The process of innovation adoption and implementation is the focus of studies included in this special journal volume.  Collectively, they examine staff perceptions of program needs, organizational readiness for change (i.e., motivational pressures, resources, staff attributes, and organizational climate), quality of workshop training, subsequent utilization of training materials, and client self-report of treatment engagement in approximately 800 treatment programs nationwide.  A standardized assessment of organizational functioning captured attributes that describe environments, settings, and staffs, and the findings are interpreted in the context of a stage-based approach to making program changes.  This paper presents conceptual refinements to the Simpson (2002) “program change model” used to help organize and summarize longitudinal results within the organizational context of treatment programs and according to implementation influences related to qualities of the innovations.

2)  Rowan-Szal, G. A., Greener, J. M., Joe, G. W., & Simpson, D. D.  (2007).  Assessing program needs and planning change.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 121-129.

Abstract:  Assessments of treatment staff training needs, preferences, and barriers can help guide and improve training activities and transfer of evidence-based technologies into clinical practice.  The TCU Program Training Needs (PTN) assessment consists of 54 items organized into seven domains:  Program Facilities and Climate, Program Computer Resources, Staff Training Needs, Preferences for Training Content, Preferences for Training Strategy, Training Barriers, and Satisfaction with Training.  Data collected from 589 counselors representing 194 treatment programs showed the PTN was psychometrically sound and predictably associated with results from a more comprehensive assessment of organizational functioning.  Importantly, fewer barriers to training and greater staff satisfaction with training were reported in programs with higher levels of organizational functioning.  In addition to representing an efficient source of staff perceptions about organizational operations and needs, the PTN empowers staff with a “voice” they can contribute to strategic planning and priority setting for organizational actions.

3)  Courtney, K. O., Joe, G. W., Rowan-Szal, G. A., & Simpson, D. D.  (2007).  Using organizational assessment as a tool for program change.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 131-137.

Abstract:  Organizational functioning within substance abuse treatment organizations is important to the transfer of research innovations into practice.  Programs should be performing well for new interventions to be implemented successfully.  The present study examined characteristics of treatment programs that participated in an assessment and training workshop designed to improve organizational functioning.  The workshop was attended by directors and clinical supervisors from 53 community-based treatment units in a single state in the Southwest.  Logistic regression analysis was used to examine attributes related to program-level decisions to engage in a structured process for making organizational changes.  Findings showed that programs with higher needs and pressures, and those with more limited institutional resources, and poorer ratings of staff attributes and organizational climate were most likely to engage in a change strategy.  Furthermore, organizations with greater staff consensus (i.e., smaller standard deviations) on ratings of organizational climate also were more likely to engage in change.

4)  Greener, J. M., Joe, G. W., Simpson, D. D., Rowan-Szal, G. A., & Lehman, W. E. K.  (2007).  Influence of organizational functioning on client engagement in treatment.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 139-147.

Abstract:  The present study focused on the relationship between organizational functioning factors measured in a staff survey using the TCU Organizational Readiness for Change (ORC) assessment and client-level engagement measured by the TCU Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment (CEST) in drug treatment programs.  The sample consisted of 531 clinical and counseling staff and 3475 clients from 163 substance abuse treatment programs located in 9 states from three regional Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC).  Measures of client engagement in treatment (rapport, satisfaction, and participation) were shown to be higher in programs with more positive staff ratings of organizational functioning.  In particular, these programs had fewer agency needs and more favorable ratings for their resources, staff attributes, and climate.  These findings help establish the importance of addressing organizational factors as part of an overall strategy for improving treatment effectiveness.

5)  Broome, K. M., Flynn, P. M., Knight, D. K., & Simpson, D. D.  (2007).  Program structure, staff perceptions, and client engagement in treatment.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 149-158.

Abstract:  A key goal for drug abuse treatment providers is to get their clients engaged and participating in therapeutic activities, as a first step toward deriving longer-term benefits.  Much research has focused on personal characteristics that relate to client engagement, but characteristics of the program have received less attention.  This study explores client and program differences in engagement ratings, using data from a nationwide set of 94 outpatient drug free (ODF) treatment programs in a hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis.  Results show that elements of program context, including both structural features (e.g., smaller size and JCAHO/CARF accreditation) and staff perceptions of personal efficacy, organizational climate, and communal workplace practices, relate to better overall client engagement.  These findings add further evidence that treatment providers should also address the workplace environment for staff as part of quality-improvement efforts.

6)  Saldana, L., Chapman, J., Henggeler, S., & Rowland, M. (2007).  The Organizational Readiness for Change scale in adolescent programs: Criterion validity.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 159-169.
  

7)  Joe, G. W., Broome, K. M., Simpson, D. D., & Rowan-Szal, G. A.  (2007).  Counselor perceptions of organizational factors and innovations training experiences.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 171-182.

Abstract:  Because work environment is central to understanding job performance, drug counselor perceptions of their programs and their skills were examined in relation to their attitudes about innovations training and its utilization.  Latent profile analysis of measures on organizational climate and staff attributes for 1047 counselors from 345 programs defined three categories of counselors – labeled as Isolated, Integrated, and Exceptional.  All had generally positive views of their professional skills, although the Isolated group scored lower on scales representing professional growth and influence on peers.  They were less positive about the “climate” of programs in which they worked and were higher on stress.  Program resources predicted the counselor groups, with the Isolated having more limited resources.  Counselor categorizations also differed in terms of workshop training experiences, with the Isolated group of counselors reporting significantly less exposure, satisfaction, and program-wide use of workshop training.

8)  Fuller, B., Rieckmann, T., Nunes, E., Miller, M., Arfken, C., Edmundson, E., & McCarty, D. (2007).  Organizational Readiness for Change and opinions toward treatment innovation.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 183-192.
    

9)  Bartholomew, N. G, Joe, G. W., Rowan-Szal, G. A., & Simpson, D. D. (2007).  Counselor assessments of training and adoption barriers.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 193-199.

Abstract:  The prevailing emphasis on adoption of evidence-based practices suggests more focused training evaluations are needed that capture factors in clinician decisions to use new techniques.  This includes relationships of post-conference evaluations with subsequent adoption of training materials.  Training assessments were therefore collected at two time points from substance abuse treatment counselors that attended training on dual diagnosis and on therapeutic alliance as part of a state-sponsored conference.  Customized evaluations were collected to assess counselor perceptions of training quality and relevance, and follow-up surveys were obtained to gauge its utilization during the 6 months following the conference.  Higher ratings for relevance to service needs of clients, desire to have additional training, and level of program support were each related to greater trial usage of training concepts and materials during the follow-up period.  Primary barriers cited by counselors included lack of time and redundancy with current practices.
  

10)  Simpson, D. D., Joe, G. W., & Rowan-Szal, G. A. (2007).  Linking the elements of change:  Program and client responses to innovation.  Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 33(2), 201-209.

Abstract:  Program-level measures of the innovation adoption process were defined by averaged counselor ratings of program training needs and readiness, organizational functioning, quality of a workshop training conference, and client-level indicators of adoption progress at follow-up.  Longitudinal records were collected from a statewide network of almost 60 treatment programs over a 2-year period.  Findings show that staff attitudes about training needs and past experiences predicted subsequent staff ratings of training quality and the progress they made in adopting innovations.  Organizational climate (especially clarity of mission, staff cohesion, openness to change) also was related to innovation adoption.  In programs that lacked an open atmosphere for adopting new ideas, it was found that trial usage of training by the counselors was attenuated.  Most important was the evidence that innovation adoption based on training for improving treatment engagement was significantly related to better client participation and rapport in treatment, measured at the end of the 2-year evaluation period.
  

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