(PS9-82) Dropping out of Partial Hospital Treatment Among Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Predictors and Characteristics

Abstract Text: Treatment dropout from mental health care is a serious problem that disproportionately affects
racial and ethnic minorities. Compared to Whites, racial and ethnic minority populations exhibit
lower rates of treatment utilization and higher rates of dropout before completing treatment
across various mental health settings. However, research examining such disparities in treatment
dropout within higher-level partial hospital settings is lacking, despite the potential value of such
insights for underrepresented populations in clinical contexts. The current study aims to
investigate racial and ethnic differences in predictors of treatment dropout within a partial
hospital setting. We hypothesized that racial/ethnic difference would be found in the relationship
between treatment attitude and treatment dropout in partial hospital setting. Data was collected
from individuals seeking treatment at the Rhode Island Hospital Partial Hospital program (N
7764). Results indicated that while race was found to be a predictor of treatment dropout (X 2 =
57.4, p< .01) treatment attitude did not exhibit the same predictive power for racial and ethnic
minority participants (X 2 =0.08, p >.05) as it did for White individuals (X 2 = 10.92, p < .01),
suggesting the presence of unique factors influencing treatment adherence among minority
groups. These findings suggest the importance of developing culturally responsive interventions
to make treatment better accessible for racial and ethnic minority populations. Future studies
could explore additional factors contributing to these disparities and evaluate effectiveness of
interventions aimed at reducing them so that mental health programs can better serve the diverse
needs of all individuals seeking treatment.