Psychological and demographic predictors of attrition among batterers court ordered into treatment

The study investigated differences in demographic and psychological variables between treatment completers and dropouts among abusive men entering a court-mandated treatment program. An additional goal was to create a predictive model that would correctly identify men at greatest risk of dropping out of the program. The authors used a secondary analysis of 137 men randomly selected from a larger pool of 784 men. Analysis indicated that very few of the demographic and psychological variables differentiated between treatment completers and dropouts. However, a logistic regression model was developed that correctly predicted treatment completion for 75 percent of the sample. Implications of the findings for improving retention rates among men attending court-mandated batterer treatment programs are discussed.