Perceived Coercion and Treatment Need Among Mentally Ill Parolees

Much of the early literature concerning coerced treatment relied on measures such as legal pressure. The past 5 years saw a further development in the measurement of coercion based on patients’ perceptions. In both cases, however, coercion levels are based on external elements of coercion without taking into account the prospective patients’ perceived need for treatment. To better understand the relationship between these constructs, the authors conducted interviews with mentally ill parolees mandated into outpatient treatment (N = 97). Patients were asked to respond to the five-item MacArthur Perceived Coercion Scale (PCS) and several other items designed to reflect perceived treatment need. A cluster analysis of these items resulted in the five PCS items and the two perceived treatment need (PTN) items emerging as separate clusters. Moreover, the majority of the patients who reported no control over admission to the clinic recognized their need for psychiatric treatment.