“It's not my fault”: Acceptance of responsibility as a component of engagement in juvenile residential treatment

Research suggests that client engagement in treatment is related to positive treatment outcomes. Although a large body of literature exists on clients' treatment engagement, literature on engagement in juvenile residential treatment centers is sparse, particularly in the area of who engages in treatment. Practitioners in Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) have expressed a belief that youths' acknowledgement of problems and acceptance of responsibility is an important first step in the treatment process. Using both qualitative and quantitative data from youths' responses to interview questions during their first month of stay in residence, this paper explores the concept of “attribution of responsibility,” including whether these youth accept responsibility for their placement, and examines whether acceptance of responsibility is an important component of engagement in treatment. From these in-depth interviews (n = 125), patterns in youths' attributions did emerge. Youth did make internal or external attributions of responsibility or blame for the activities that led them to residential treatment. Further, differences were found between youth in whether they believed that there was a good reason for their placement. Finally, youths' verbal attributions were significantly related to youths' treatment engagement. Implications of these findings are discussed.