Predictive factors of treatment non-completion in the Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme

Abstract

Treatment non-completion poses challenges for organisations delivering offending focused group therapy by reducing the efficiency of the interventions. Participants who leave treatment prematurely are also likely to be negatively impacted through loss of potential treatment gains that could have otherwise supported the reduction of reoffending and progression towards a better life. This research aimed to identify the individual and group characteristics which predict treatment non-completion of men participating in high intensity group treatment for violent offending in New Zealand. The data was drawn from an archival file of 261 men who engaged in the Special Treatment Unit Rehabilitation Programme between 2015 and 2018. Binary logistic regression models indicated that treatment non-completion was predicted by dynamic risk of violence, Meanness, and younger age. Coparticipant characteristics had no significant interaction with the completion status of individual group members. The results, implications, and limitations of the study are discussed, and potential directions of future research pertaining to treatment non-completion are identified.