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Reliable Change and Outcome Trajectories Across Levels of Care in a Mental Health System for Youth

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Abstract

Knowledge of mental health treatment outcome trajectories across various service types can be valuable for both system- and client-level decision-making. Using longitudinal youth functional impairment scores across 2807 treatment episodes, this study examined outcome trajectories and estimated the number of months required for reliable change across nine major services (or levels of care). Results indicate logarithmic improvement trajectories for a majority of levels of care and significant differences in time until improvement ranging from 4 to 12 months. Findings can guide system-level policies on lengths of treatment and service authorizations and provide expected treatment response data for client-level treatment decisions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    David S. Jackson & Charles W. Mueller

  2. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, Hawai`i Department of Health, 3627 Kilauea Ave., Room 101, Honolulu, HI, 96816, USA

    David S. Jackson, Scott S. Keir & Max Sender

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  1. David S. Jackson
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  2. Scott S. Keir
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  3. Max Sender
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  4. Charles W. Mueller
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Correspondence to David S. Jackson.

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Jackson, D.S., Keir, S.S., Sender, M. et al. Reliable Change and Outcome Trajectories Across Levels of Care in a Mental Health System for Youth. Adm Policy Ment Health 44, 141–154 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0690-5

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