| The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate risk perception in first-time DWI (driving while intoxicated) offenders. A second purpose of the study was to determine if, and to what extent, participation in Prime for Life (PFL), a motivation-enhancing prevention education program, increases risk perception in the first-time DWI offender population. The sample for this study was 205 first-time DWI offenders in North Carolina. The theory of reasoned action, the health belief model, and various models of risk served as the conceptual framework of the study. Level of risk perception was measured with the Risk Estimate Scale (RES) and the PFL pre-group surveys, which were administered before and after participation in PFL training. Descriptive statistics revealed that 63.4% (RES) and 72.7% (PFL) of the participants reported a low level of risk. A chi-square goodness of fit test was conducted determine if the scores were equal to what one would expect by chance. The 205 participants were examined in three categories to include low (f= 130), medium (f=75) and high ( f=0) risk perception and evaluated for equal distribution. Results indicated that first-time DWI offenders exhibit low-risk perception prior to participation in PFL, X2 (2, N=205) = 122.05, p<.001. Thus, the null hypothesis was rejected. The t test and Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test showed statistically significant increases in risk perception from pretest to posttest for both measures. This information is important for the identification of effective prevention education specifically designed to target an individual's perception of risk relating to alcohol consumption and to reduce DWI recidivism for first-time DWI offenders and individuals who lack a substance use disorder diagnosis. |
