Substance Abuse Treatment Referrals of U.S. Navy Personnel

Although outcomes for people in substance abuse treatment have been well examined, little is known about the efficacy of processes for referring people into such treatment. This report gives results from an ongoing study that is empirically assessing the efficacy of substance abuse treatment referrals for U.S. Navy personnel. The overall referral success rate (persons recommended for treatment and enrolled within 60 days of that recommendations) was found to be only 54.2%. Neither command valuation of the individual as represented by a command investment measure, nor organizational commitment on the part of the individual as measured by the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire were found to influence referral success. The only predictors found of referral success were being stationed at a shore command and being African-American. Surprisingly, African-Americans were valued less by commands than their Caucasian and Hispanic counterparts. The implications of these findings are discussed and specific recommendations for the U.S. Navy's referral process are made.