A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--Southern Connecticut State University, 2013.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-81).

In this first formal evaluation of Teen Challenge, a faith-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation program, the author collected data from the program directors across the country. Research was concerned with three distinctive areas: demographic data, data concerning the program, and assessment of the program by its directors. The results showed that age and location had a significant association with high success rates while gender did not. Marital and parental status was associated with high drop-out rates; age and employment were not. The group most successful in completing the program were students referred by a court order. The most effective spiritual group activity was a curriculum called Group Studies for New Christians. The most effective individual activity was personal prayer. Most program directors found spiritual activities more important than non-spiritual ones.