engleski

Readiness to change and treatment readiness of juveniles mandated by court to counselling service

Background: Readiness to change and treatment readiness are very rarely researched among juveniles in the justice system. Aim(s): This research had the intention of gaining an insight into the motivation for change of youth mandated by court into individual or group psychosocial treatment within the counseling service. Methods: The mix method was used. The research had two parts – qualitative and quantitative. In the first research phase, quantitative data were collected from 160 youth through self-assessment. Youths assessed their readiness for change and treatment readiness answering questions from three scales: Stages of Change Questionnaire (McConnaughy, Prochaska i Velicher, 1983.), Decisional Balance Scale – Adolescent Offenders (Jordan, 2005.) and Readiness for treatment questionnaire (created for the purpose of this research). Parallel with the self – assessment of readiness for change, 20 participants for qualitative research phase were chosen. Semi – structured interview was applied. Data were analyzed through thematic frame analysis (Lacey i Luff, 2007.). Results: The results based on quantitative data ensure the differentiation of youths who are willing to change and those who are resistant to change. Patterns of qualitative data enable an insight into processes of change and the influence of internal and external factors during this process. Conclusion: Results indicate the need for specific counselling programs for youth in conflict with law and also can be a baseline for creation of specific treatment approaches which will be discussed during the presentation.

readiness to change; treatment readiness; juvenile offenders; counseling

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