Benefits of Treatment Completion over Premature Termination: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Date
2019
Journal Title
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Publisher
Psychiatry
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate potential differences in therapeutic outcomes between
youths who completed a full course of treatment as planned compared to youths
who terminated treatment prematurely. Method: Using longitudinal data from
the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Core Data Set, the
present study examined demographic characteristics, trauma history, scores on
standardized measures, and ratings of functional impairment and behavior problems in a large clinical sample of children and adolescents exposed to trauma
who received treatment at NCTSN centers across the United States. Baseline and
follow-up data were used to compare treatment completers (n = 3,108) and
noncompleters (n = 4,029). Results: Both treatment completers and noncompleters received benefits from treatment by NCTSN mental health providers in that
both groups showed significant decreases in mean scores from baseline to followup on all standardized measures. However, compared to noncompleters, treatment completers showed three types of significantly greater benefit at follow-up.
These included: (a) greater rates of decline (i.e., steeper slopes) on all outcome
measures; (b) greater reductions in the odds of falling within the clinical range on
standardized measures; and (c) greater reductions in the odds of exhibiting
functional impairment and behavior problems at follow-up. In contrast, compared to treatment completers, noncompleters reported significantly higher rates
of lifetime exposure to community violence, psychological maltreatment, physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and sexual assault. Conclusion: These findings
underscore the value of incorporating engagement and retention strategies in
treatments for traumatized youths to maximize therapeutic benefit and raise the
standard of care.
Description
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Keywords
child abuse, treatment, barriers, treatment outcomes, research
Citation
Steinberg, A. M., Layne, C. M., Briggs, E. C., Liang, L. J., Brymer, M. J., Belin, T. R., ... & Pynoos, R. S. (2019). Benefits of Treatment Completion Over Premature Termination: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Psychiatry, 1-15.