Abstract
The dissertation comprises three products that considered self-determination theory (SDT) as theoretical framework to support interventions that promote satisfaction of basic psychological needs among recipients of assertive community treatment (ACT) and forensic assertive community treatment (FACT). The first product is a paper that conceptualized and integrated elements of self-determination (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in the implementation of assertive community treatment and forensic assertive community treatment. The integration of implementation of these basic psychological needs provided a framework to increase autonomy and self-determination, which has proven effective at increasing enhanced client wellness and optimal outcomes. The second product is a cross-sectional exploratory study of ACT and FACT participants (n =100), between 21 and 67 years of age (M = 42.23, SD = 12.74), who had between five and 16 years of education (M = 12.05, SD = 1.87), and were on the ACT team for an average of approximately four and a half years (M = 4.05, SD = 3.33). The study examined relationships between basic psychological needs construed from the lens of self-determination theory and overall client satisfaction with services. Findings showed that, satisfaction positively and significantly correlated with relatedness, r = .45, 95% CI [.28, .59], p < .001, and autonomy, r = .33, 95% CI [.14, .49], p = .001, both of which were medium in effect size (Cohen, 1992). A statistically significant positive correlation was also found between satisfaction and competence, r = .24, 95% CI [.05, .42], p = .015, which was small-to-medium in effect size. The correlations between competence, autonomy, and relatedness were positive and statistically significant (p < .05. Further, findings from a multiple regression showed that relatedness is a significant predictor of satisfaction (R2 = .22, F (3, 96) = 8.80, p Promoting Smart Decarceration Through Forensic Assertive Community Treatment presented at the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) 63rd Annual Program Meeting (APM) entitled Educating for the Social Work Grand Challenges. The overview includes analysis and presentation of research from the conceptual paper and findings from the cross-sectional exploratory study.