Finally, we were unable to assess treatment engagement, intensity or completion- factors that may impact alcohol outcomes. As noted earlier, however, black treatment users have been shown to have lower attendance and lower treatment completion than whites (Bluthenthal et al., 2007; Niv et al., 2009; Tonigan, 2003), and we have no reason to suspect that the findings would be different in this sample. That research has failed to demonstrate racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol treatment outcomes is all the more remarkable (Brower and Carey, 2003). Nevertheless, future research assessing these longitudinal relationships should consider the role of engagement, intensity and completion of treatment.
