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Symptom Persistence in Seriously Emotionally Disordered Children: Findings of a Two-Year Follow-up after Residential Treatment

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Abstract

Residential treatment is arguably the most costly and intensive part of the children’s mental health system. Yet, research suggests that a subset of the emotionally disordered children and youth admitted to intensive tertiary care treatment facilities fail to demonstrate symptom reductions upon discharge, with many continuing to deteriorate in their adjustment during the follow-up period. This study reports on the factors that characterize the children and youth that, while showing marginal benefit from residential treatment, continue to show community conduct problems at a two-year follow-up period. The results are discussed in the context of how knowledge of these factors can help inform future treatment and research directions.

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Conflict of Interest

Initial funding for this study was provided by the Centre of Excellence in Children’s Mental Health of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa Ontario.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Rebecca Cuthbert

  2. The Child and Parent Resource Institute, London, ON, Canada

    Jeff St. Pierre & Shannon L. Stewart

  3. Department of Sociology, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Steven Cook

  4. School of Health Studies, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

    Andrew M. Johnson

  5. The Faculty of Education, The University of Western Ontario, 1137 Western Road, London, ON, N6G 1G7, Canada

    Alan W. Leschied

Authors
  1. Rebecca Cuthbert
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  2. Jeff St. Pierre
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  3. Shannon L. Stewart
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  4. Steven Cook
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  5. Andrew M. Johnson
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  6. Alan W. Leschied
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Correspondence to Alan W. Leschied.

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Cuthbert, R., Pierre, J.S., Stewart, S.L. et al. Symptom Persistence in Seriously Emotionally Disordered Children: Findings of a Two-Year Follow-up after Residential Treatment. Child Youth Care Forum 40, 267–280 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9137-z

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