Semantic Networks, Schema Change, and Reincarceration Outcomes of Therapeutic Community Graduates

Doogan, Nathan J.; Warren, Keith

doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2016.06.011

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…A likely explanation for this is simply that they have learned TC norms of behavior. This is consistent with previous evidence that social learning occurs in TCs (Doogan and Warren, 2016;Warren, 2020).…”

Section: Isolation Is Self-sustainingsupporting

confidence: 93%

Resident interactions when affirming and correcting peers in a therapeutic community for women

Warren

Doogan

Wernekinck

et al. 2021

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Purpose While recent years have seen a number of studies of social networks in therapeutic communities (TCs) and other residential settings, these have primarily focused on male residents. This paper aims to conduct a longitudinal social network analysis of interpersonal interactions in a TC for women. Design/methodology/approach The data consists of a longitudinal directed social network of instances of feedback between 56 residents of a 16 bed TC for women over a period of 611 days. Mean age of the participants was 33.1 years, mean length of stay was 133.9 days and 91% of the participants were female. Feedback consisted of written affirmations for prosocial behavior and written corrections for contravening TC norms. Data was analyzed using a latent factor longitudinal social network model. Findings Residents react to peer intervention in complex ways. Residents reciprocated affirmations (B = 0.14, 95% confidence interval = 0.10, 0.18) and corrections (B = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.13, 0.25). Controlling for reciprocity, participants who received affirmations were more likely to affirm and correct peers (B = 0.10, 95% CI = 0.06, 0.15; B = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.10, 0.23), suggesting that the encouragement offered by affirmations leads to increased activity. Homophily by admission time occurred in both affirmations and corrections (B = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.10, 0.37; B = 0.51, 95% CI = 0.29, 0.74). Originality/value While affirmations and corrections serve as vehicles for behavioral reinforcement and social learning, they also allow residents to interact in ways that strengthen social bonds.

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Section: Isolation Is Self-sustainingsupporting

confidence: 93%

Resident interactions when affirming and correcting peers in a therapeutic community for women

Warren

Doogan

Wernekinck

et al. 2021

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show abstract

“…In recent years, there has been a movement to study residential and mutual aid based substance abuse programs using social network analysis (Doogan and Warren, 2016;Hodge et al, 2014;Jason et al, 2014;Jason et al, 2012;Kreager et al, 2019;Viola et al, 2009). This makes intuitive sense because these programs presume that interpersonal interactions between individuals in recovery are a key to clinical progress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these tend to be subjective measures of residents' beliefs about themselves. In an attempt to measure actual actions in the TC, Doogan and Warren (2016) used a semantic network analysis of words that residents used in written affirmations sent to peers to predict reincarceration. They reported that residents were less likely to be reincarcerated if the semantic structure of the affirmations they gave to peers changed more over the treatment course.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Senior therapeutic community members show greater consistency when affirming peers: evidence of social learning

Warren

2020

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Purpose Therapeutic communities (TCs) use social learning between peers in treating substance abuse. One mechanism for fostering social learning is peer affirmations for prosocial behavior. The purpose of this study is to use consistency of affirmations as a test of whether social learning does occur. Design/methodology/approach Using the results of a social network survey of 50 women in a corrections-based TC, the authors compared affirmations and nonprogrammatic compliments exchanged between residents as two directed social networks. The authors evaluated consistency of judgment using the hubs and authorities algorithm, and tested to see whether more senior residents are more likely to be hubs, thereby showing more consistent judgment. Findings More senior residents show greater consistency with peers in program affirmations but not in nonprogrammatic compliments. Hub status in the network of affirmations increases most rapidly in the first 200 days of residence, with slower increases thereafter. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to one survey of the women in one TC. The external validity of the findings is therefore unclear. The results suggest that social learning of TC principles and prosocial behavior does occur and that it is not simply a function of popularity among peers. This seems to happen most rapidly in the first 200 days, suggesting that programs much shorter than six months may limit this process. Originality/value This is the first use of the hubs and authorities algorithm with a social network drawn from a therapeutic community and the first attempt to verify social learning through a social network analysis.

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“…These findings suggest that corrections play a considerably more complex role in TC treatment than is immediately obvious. TC clinical theory emphasizes that peer feedback leads to social learning [ 1 , 2 , 36 , 37 ]. However, in these TCs, peer corrections form a hierarchy through which residents move; in five of these six TCs, movement through the hierarchy predicts successful graduation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eigenvector centrality defines hierarchy and predicts graduation in therapeutic community units

et al. 2021

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Introduction Therapeutic communities (TCs) are mutual aid based residential programs for the treatment of substance abuse and criminal behavior. While it is expected that residents will provide feedback to peers, there has been no social network study of the hierarchy through which feedback flows. Methods Data for this study was drawn from clinical records of peer corrections exchanged between TC residents in six units kept over periods of less than two to over eight years. Four of the units served men while two served women. Hierarchy position was measured using eigenvector centrality, on the assumption that residents who were more central in the network of corrections were lower in the hierarchy. It was hypothesized that residents would rise in the hierarchy over time. This was tested using Wilcoxon paired samples tests comparing the mean and maximum eigenvector centrality for time in treatment with those in the last month of treatment. It was also hypothesized that residents who rose higher in the hierarchy were more likely to graduate, the outcome of primary interest. Logistic regression was used to test hierarchy position as a predictor of graduation, controlling for age, race, risk of recidivism as measured by the Level of Services Inventory-Revised (LSI-R) and days spent in the program. Results Residents averaged a statistically significantly lower eigenvector centrality in the last month in all units, indicating a rise in the hierarchy over time. Residents with lower maximum and average eigenvector centrality both over the length of treatment and in the last month of treatment were more likely to graduate in four of the six units, those with lower maximum and average eigenvector centrality in the last month but not over the length of treatment were more likely to graduate in one of the six units, while eigenvector centrality did not predict graduation in one unit. However, this last unit was much smaller than the others, which may have influenced the results. Conclusion These results suggest that TC residents move through a social network hierarchy and that movement through the hierarchy predicts successful graduation.

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Semantic Networks, Schema Change, and Reincarceration Outcomes of Therapeutic Community Graduates

Cited by 8 publications

References 43 publications

Resident interactions when affirming and correcting peers in a therapeutic community for women

Resident interactions when affirming and correcting peers in a therapeutic community for women

Senior therapeutic community members show greater consistency when affirming peers: evidence of social learning

Eigenvector centrality defines hierarchy and predicts graduation in therapeutic community units

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