Table 2.

Themes and Illustrative Quotes for Dropout Items

Reasons for Considering Dropping Out		Reasons for Deciding to Stay
Theme	Illustrative Quotes	Theme	Illustrative Quotes
1. Fear (n = 12)	• “Scared to tell others my story.” • “I was afraid I was going to stay angry and relapse”a • “I was overwhelmed with knowing that I would soon have to tell my story. The fear of exposure was almost too much.”	1. Positive anticipation (n = 6)	• “Because I knew it would help me.” • “Maybe it will help and it did a lot.”
2. Interpersonal concerns (n = 9)	• “I was scared that the group would not keep my story to the group.”a • “Because I had trust issues.” • “I didn’t want to be judged by others.”	2. Group environment (n = 5)	• “The support and encouragement of the group.” • “I just had a trusting easy feeling after I talked to [the group leaders].”
3. Emotions besides fear (n = 6)	• “I knew it was going to hurt” • “Embarrassment, shame” • “Because I was feeling feelings I haven’t felt in a long time”	3. Personal empowerment/ determination (n = 5)	• “I am strong and a survivor.” • “Dedication to myself and my recovery and victory over my experiences.”
4. Miscellaneous responses (n = 4)	• “Thought that my story wasn’t important.” • “Too much was going on in my life at the moment.”	4. Desire for change (n = 5)	• “I needed to get it off my shoulders.” • “Fear of not changing, fear of myself.”
		5. Miscellaneous responses (n = 3)	• “I made a commitment plus I think it helped me.”

Note: ^a = multiple themes were judged as applicable to this participant’s response and it was coded in multiple categories