Intensive home-based treatment for children and adolescents: A promising alternative to residential and hospital care

Sally Stevens, Bridget Ruiz, Christine Bracamonte-Wiggs, Mary Shea

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The number of children and adolescents in the United States requiring care for emotional and behavioral problems is a major public health concern. Increased attention to the limitations of current social service systems to meet the needs of this population led to the development and administration of an innovative outpatient Intensive Home-Based (IHB) treatment program for youth who would typically be placed in hospital or residential care. In this effectiveness study, we examined (1) demographic and clinical characteristics of (N = 48) enrolled youth, (2) determined changes in skills, behaviors, self-esteem, and therapeutic involvement of the clients between intake and a three-month follow-up, (3) examined changes in the skills and behaviors of the parent/ caregiver of the child between intake and a three-month follow-up, and (4) calculated the costs of IHB treatment and compared with costs of alternative treatments available in the same community. Results indicated positive outcomes on almost all measures indicating the program's effectiveness, particularly in light of the reduced cost of IHB treatment when compared with hospital or residential care.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)39-58
Number of pages20
JournalChild and Family Behavior Therapy
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 20 2006

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Children
  • Home-based intervention
  • Psychiatric care
  • Therapeutic involvement
  • Treatment outcomes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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