The proposed research aims to develop a measurement technology to indicate perceptual and attitudinal dispositions characteristic of clients who leave treatment prematurely and those who relapse to drug use following the completion of a treatment program. Based on the recent success of the Associate Group Analysis (AGA) as an instrument of process evaluation, the proposed research is planned to: (a) test two alternative strategies of assessment (structured and unstructured), (b) develop a short and easy to administer diagnostic instrument for routine use, and (c) test the effectiveness of this instrument to identify clients who are likely to drop out of treatment or relapse across various treatment modalities and treatment populations.
