An analysis of variables related to client dropout from psychotherapy in a community mental health setting

The records of 191 clients who received outpatient therapy at a community mental health center were analyzed to investigate the relationship between selected client and organizational variables and dropout. This study also examined the relationship between these same variables and point of dropout.;A multivariate analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between all variables and dropout. This logit analysis revealed that three variables significantly influenced log odds for the prediction of dropping out when other variables were held constant: Educational Level by a factor of.0827 (p ;An exploratory, univariate analysis revealed six variables significantly related to dropout at or below the.05 level of confidence. Three variables were Client variables: Educational Level (p ;Results for a secondary purpose indicated that three variables were significantly related to Point of Dropout at or below the.05 level. Two of the variables were Client variables: Age (p ;Major findings from the study were as follows: (1) Younger, less educated clients are predictably more likely to drop out of therapy. (2) Clients receiving therapy services from only one therapist are predictably more likely to drop out. Implications for research and practice are provided.