Factors Associated with Success in Treating Chronic Drunk Drivers

This study seeks to help increase the effectiveness of chronic drunk driver treatment by examining a program with typical failure rates, and identifying what factors are associated with client success. Using the 1,665 male and female clients who were released from the program during its first 4.25 years of operation, we investigate this question in two stages. First, we extract six factors from the independent variables. Second, using the factor scores in a logistic regression analysis, we identify the characteristics that are associated with client rearrest. The results indicate that socio-economic status, criminality, and time at risk predict client success following treatment. More importantly perhaps, we find that staff prognosis, maturity, child abuse, family history of alcohol abuse, and the number of prior DUIs do not consistently predict success. The implications of these findings are discussed. © 1997 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved