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Mental health services for children in care: investigation to elicit outcomes of direct and indirect interventions
Abstract
Aims and method The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of direct therapy and indirect consultation for treating mental health difficulties among looked after children (LAC), and also to identify any demographic or clinical predictor variables for outcomes in this cohort. A retrospective evaluation of mental health outcomes for 104 LAC was conducted. All children received network consultation in combination with or without direct therapeutic work. Outcomes were compared between the groups with and without direct therapeutic intervention. Results Those receiving both treatments displayed significantly greater Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)-rated improvements than those receiving just consultation. Nonetheless, improvements in scores for the latter group were significant relative to baseline. Treatment duration, younger age at referral and start SDQ were all correlated with positive outcomes, while number of address changes predicted higher start SDQ scores. Clinical implications Despite the retrospective design of this study, its results can be considered as preliminary findings to guide treatment decisions in LAC.
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Date
2021
Type
Article
Subject
Child welfare, Mental health, Surveys and questionnaires
Citation
Deuchar, S. & Majumder, P. (2021). Mental health services for children in care: investigation to elicit outcomes of direct and indirect interventions. BJPsych Bulletin, 45(5), pp. 264-271.
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Publisher’s statement
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright © The Author(s), 2021