Persistence in Turning to Faith as a Predictor of Drug Use and Criminality among Drug Court Clients

Abstract

Faith-based beliefs are associated with and considered to be a vital component in enhancing the efficacy of substance abuse treatment and recovery. However, relatively little empirical information has been accumulated on the temporal stability of individuals' use of faith and its importance before and following initiation of the therapeutic process. The current study examined persistence in turning to faith across time as a predictor of substance use, criminal behavior, and perceived addiction severity in a sample of 500 Kentucky Drug Court participants. Results suggest that when modeling variance in faith, which persists across the two-year span of Drug Court involvement as a latent construct, greater persistence in one's faith predicts decreases in substance use frequency measured at the final 24-month interview. The latent faith construct was marginally related to differences in 24-month criminal behavior and was not associated with perceptions of addiction severity. Results are discussed for substance abuse treatment needs and recovery.