This NIAAA-funded exploratory study (R21AA021829) will merge over 8 years of Texas driving record data and Texas treatment data to identify and evaluate the risk and protective factors for DWI/DUI recidivism among individuals who have ever received alcohol and/or drug treatment. The study has two aims: (1) To examine the strength of factors predicting DWI recidivism among individuals who have ever received substance abuse treatment, and (2) To create profiles of individual in treatment that predict risk of DWI recidivism based on the interaction of demographics, substance abuse factors, and driving factors.
Several factors are hypothesized to interact to predict the risk of recidivism: demographics, underlying severity of substance disorder, previous risky driving behaviors, intensity of substance treatment, and legal deterrents (e.g. interlocks, DWI education, etc.). We propose to disentangle these factors to create a predictive profile of who is most likely to recidivate and determine the interventions that work best for people with different combinations of characteristics or backgrounds.
The UT research team will partner with consultants from the Pacific Institute on Research and Evaluation on this project.