Evaluation of the Texas Youth Commission's Chemical Dependency Treatment Program, 1998-1999

This study consists of data from both the process evaluation and the outcome evaluation of the Texas Youth Commission's (TYC) Chemical Dependency Treatment Program (CDTP). The research goal of the first part of the study was to provide a systematic and empirical process evaluation of appropriate program placement and whether and to what extent selected individual-level factors were related to key measures of program progress, as well as to variations in process outcomes across each of five treatment sites. The research goal of the second part of the study was to provide a systematic and empirical outcome evaluation of the impact of the TYC Chemical Dependency Treatment Program, including determination of the extent to which certain risk, need, amenability, program performance and delivery, and aftercare factors affected treatment impact. Data were obtained from the Texas Youth Commission, the state corrections agency responsible for serving violent and serious delinquent youth committed to the custody of the state. TYC collects a range of information on the risk, needs, and treatment amenability of its youths. Also, program performance is measured through the use of an exit assessment conducted by program staff, which essentially provides a report card summarizing each youth's involvement and progress in treatment. Data in this evaluation cover all juveniles who entered the CDTP from January through October 1998, and who were discharged by April 1, 1999. The treatment group consists of youths who invariably had a high need for chemical dependency treatment. The control group consists of youths who were eligible for treatment in the CDTP during this same time period but who did not receive it due to limited CDTP bed space. To obtain measures of drug use/abuse relapse, aftercare participation, and parole performance, a parolee data worksheet was created. TYC was able to provide information on who received chemical dependency treatment while on parole. Five core variables of the process evaluation data are program completion, program expulsion, days to completion, days to expulsion, and number of behavior infractions. The process evaluation includes the following variables from individual exit assessments: the youth's overall participation, whether the youth understood the curriculum, understood addiction, sought help, acknowledged addiction, and acknowledged impact, the youth's performance grade, whether the youth committed to be drug-free, family involvement, special circumstances, and performance index. Demographic variables are race, age, parents' marital status, and gender. Variables addressing risk factors include classifying offense, offender class, risk level, number of felony referrals, number of felony adjudications, number of previous TYC commitments, and number of parole revocations. Other variables in the process evaluation address the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), the Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) chemical dependency treatment need, TYC treatment amenability score, and the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). Variables available in the outcome evaluation data address issues of rearrest, higher custody level, aftercare sessions, drug tests, and parole compliance.

本研究的数据源自德克萨斯青年委员会（Texas Youth Commission, TYC）药物依赖治疗项目（Chemical Dependency Treatment Program, CDTP）的过程评估与结果评估两部分。本研究第一部分的研究目标是，针对项目的合理安置情况，以及选定的个体层面因素与项目进展关键指标之间的关联，同时考察五个治疗站点间过程性结果的差异，开展系统性且实证性的过程评估。本研究第二部分的研究目标则是，对TYC药物依赖治疗项目的干预效果开展系统性实证结果评估，包括明确特定风险、需求、治疗适配性、项目执行与交付以及后续照护等因素对治疗效果的影响程度。研究数据来自德克萨斯青年委员会——该州负责监管收押于本州的暴力型及严重少年违法青少年的惩教机构。TYC会收集其所监管青少年的风险、需求与治疗适配性相关的多类信息。此外，项目执行情况通过项目工作人员开展的出院评估进行衡量，该评估本质上是一份总结报告，用于概括每名青少年在治疗中的参与情况与进展。本次评估的数据涵盖了1998年1月至10月期间进入CDTP，并于1999年4月1日前完成或退出治疗的所有青少年。其中，治疗组为始终存在较高药物依赖治疗需求的青少年；对照组则为同期符合CDTP治疗准入资格，但因CDTP床位有限而未能接受治疗的青少年。为获取药物使用/滥用复发、后续照护参与度以及假释表现的相关指标，研究人员构建了假释人员数据工作表。TYC能够提供假释期间接受药物依赖治疗的人员信息。过程评估数据包含5项核心变量：项目完成率、项目开除率、完成治疗所需时长、被开除所需时长，以及行为违规次数。过程评估还涵盖了来自个体出院评估的如下变量：青少年的整体参与度、是否理解治疗课程、是否理解成瘾机制、是否主动寻求帮助、是否承认自身成瘾问题、是否认可成瘾带来的影响、青少年的表现评级、是否承诺戒除毒瘾、家庭参与情况、特殊处境，以及表现指数。人口统计学变量包括种族、年龄、父母婚姻状况与性别。风险因素相关变量包括犯罪类型、罪犯类别、风险等级、重罪转介次数、重罪裁决次数、既往TYC收押次数，以及假释撤销次数。过程评估还涉及物质滥用隐蔽筛查量表（Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory, SASSI）、《精神障碍诊断与统计手册第四版》（Diagnostic Statistical Manual IV, DSM-IV）药物依赖治疗需求评估、TYC治疗适配性评分，以及改变阶段准备度与治疗渴望量表（Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale, SOCRATES）。结果评估数据中的变量涵盖了再逮捕、更高羁押等级、后续照护疗程、药物检测以及假释合规性等相关议题。