Depression, Readiness for Change, and Treatment Among Court-Mandated DUI Offenders

The current study is part of a larger study that was designed to evaluate the impact of brief interventions on subsequent alcohol and drug use of individuals convicted of driving under the influence (DUI). This element considers the interaction of depression levels with treatment on subsequent substance use and problems related to substance use.

Subjects were referred to the Research Institute on Addictions from various courts in the Western New York area for clinical evaluation and treatment referral, if further treatment was indicated. A total of 765 individuals were referred to the program, with 549 agreeing to participate. Participants were assessed at baseline using a number of different measures, with depression and readiness to change among them. A follow-up assessment took place 18-24 months following the baseline, with subsequent treatment experiences being one of the primary measures of interest for this study. A total of 443 participants were successfully interviewed at follow-up.

The high depression group had greater readiness to change and a greater likelihood of entering treatment than the low depression group (p's < .001). ANCOVAs showed depression by treatment interactions for drug problem severity, drug use, DUI risk, alcohol expectancies, abstinence self-efficacy, and psychiatric distress (all p's < .05). Furthermore, the treated high depression group made the largest positive gains across all outcomes (all p's < .01).

The readiness to change, treatment entry, and ANCOVA results, all support Wells-Parker and her colleagues' approach that depression may be a strong indicator of DUI offenders' readiness to change their substance use behavior.