Reported Maltreatment Among Clinic-Referred Children: Implications for Presenting Problems, Treatment Attrition, and Long-Term Outcomes

• NCJ Number: 202609
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 42 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2003 Pages: 1327-1334
• Author(s): Anna S. Lau Ph.D.; John R. Weisz Ph.D.
• Editor(s): Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
• Date Published: November 2003
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01 MH49522; R01 MH57347; K05 MH01161
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study attempted to determine whether maltreatment history contributed to prediction of presenting problems, treatment participation, and outcomes after treatment in community mental health care of adolescents.

Abstract

To date, there has been little research on how maltreated children fare in treatment relative to other children. This study examined the treatment implications of a reported history of maltreatment in a sample of 343 children referred to Los Angeles area mental health clinics for emotional and behavioral investigation of clinic-based mental health care for youths. The results suggest that even in a sample of youths who had problems significant enough to lead to clinic referral, those with a history of reported maltreatment could be differentiated from comparison youths on severity of presenting problems, attrition from treatment, and outcomes 2 years later. At intake, maltreated youths showed more severe presenting problems than comparison youths. The findings indicate that maltreatment is associated with poorer treatment persistence. Additional research is recommended to determine whether maltreatment compromises treatment outcomes in well-specified evidence-based interventions. Study limitations and implications are presented. References