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Examination of the Role of Therapeutic Alliance, Treatment Dose, and Treatment Completion in the Effectiveness of The Seven Challenges

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal volume 31, pages 1–24 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Adolescent alcohol and illicit drug (AOD) use is a major public health concern. This longitudinal study examines the effectiveness of The Seven Challenges in reducing adolescent substance use and mental health problems, as well as the process by which it is effective. Participants were 89 adolescents (72 male, 17 female) enrolled in a 3 month intensive outpatient adolescent substance abuse treatment program using The Seven Challenges and who provided self-report data at pre- and post-treatment. Results indicated that The Seven Challenges was effective at increasing the number of days refrained from using AOD, reducing use of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other drugs, and reducing substance use problems and internal mental distress. Results also indicated that The Seven Challenges drug counselors effectively established and maintained therapeutic alliance but this seems to not play a role in the effectiveness of The Seven Challenges. Both treatment dose and completion played a role in the effectiveness of The Seven Challenges; they were both positively related to post-treatment days refrained from AOD use, and negatively related to days of THC use, substance use problems, and internal mental distress. However, the strength of the influence of treatment completion was stronger when treatment dose was low than when it was high. Despite a small sample and other limitations, findings add to existing literature that suggests that The Seven Challenges is an effective substance abuse treatment for adolescents. Furthermore, findings suggest that adolescent substance abuse treatment should focus on clients meeting pre-determined program goals as well as on dose.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. Note that by definition, youth in the No Treatment group received 5 or fewer sessions of treatment. The average treatment dose and treatment completion rate for this group reflect that fact.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported through an evaluation contract from Providence Service Corporation and funding from the University of Arizona-Southwest Institute for Research on Women. The views expressed here are the authors and do not necessarily represent the policies or viewpoints of the funding agencies.

The authors wish to acknowledge the youth who participated in this project as well as the clinicians who assisted with data collection. The authors also thank, in alphabetical order, Mike Panico, Bridget Ruiz, and Robert Schwebel for comments on early drafts of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southwest Institute for Research on Women, University of Arizona, 181 S. Tucson Blvd., Ste. 101, Tucson, AZ, 85716, USA

    Josephine D. Korchmaros

  2. Southwest Institute for Research on Women, University of Arizona, 925 N. Tyndall Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85721-0438, USA

    Sally J. Stevens

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  1. Josephine D. Korchmaros
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  2. Sally J. Stevens
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Correspondence to Josephine D. Korchmaros.

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Korchmaros, J.D., Stevens, S.J. Examination of the Role of Therapeutic Alliance, Treatment Dose, and Treatment Completion in the Effectiveness of The Seven Challenges. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 31, 1–24 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0307-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0307-3

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Substance abuse
  • Treatment effectiveness
  • Therapeutic alliance

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