Maine Implementation Study - Phase III

Youth and parents were contacted weekly to report changes in youth functioning. Each person was asked to rate their own or their child's behavior on 12 items (6 internalizing and 6 externalizing behaviors) that were adapted from the Youth Self Report and the Child Behavior Checklist. Children and caregivers completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, every week during treatment, and at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 242days (SD = 121 days) after the pre-treatment assessment.

Youths and parents were asked to identify "The three most important problems for which you need [or "your child needs"] help." at the intake assessment. The six resulting problems (3 from youth, 3 from parent) were then rated on a scale of 0 ("Not serious at all") to 10 ("Very serious problem") by youth and parent. Youths and parents completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 242 days (SD = 121 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1. (Used as a measure of clinical outcome.)

The PTSD Index is a 38-item questionnaire that is widely-used to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms in children. Part I is a brief lifetime trauma screen. If a significant trauma is identified, Part II assesses DSM-IV PTSD symptoms related to the trauma. Part III assesses frequency of post-traumatic stress symptoms during the past month. The measure has shown good convergent validity, strong test-retest reliability, and Cronbach's alpha values in the .90s. We will administer it separately to students and their caregivers at pre-treatment, to determine whether post-traumatic stress should be a focus of treatment, and we will re-administer it at post-treatment and follow-up to assess change over time. Youths and parents completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 242 days (SD = 121 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1. (Used as a measure of clinical outcome.)

The YSR assesses problems in children on eight narrow-band scales (Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Anxious, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior, Aggressive Behavior), three broad-band scales (Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total problems), and six DSM-oriented scales. Children completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 242 days (SD = 121 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1.(Used as a measure of clinical outcome.)

The CBCL assesses problems in children on eight narrow-band scales (Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Anxious, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior, Aggression), three broad-band scales (Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total problems), and six DSM-oriented scales. Caregivers completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 267 days (SD = 124 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1. (Used as a measure of clinical outcome.)

The quality of youths' working alliance with their therapists was assessed via the Therapeutic Alliance Scale for Children (TASC, Shirk & Saiz, 1992). The 7-item scale comes in both a youth-report form and a parent-report form (parents reporting on their youth's relationship with the therapist). On average, children and caregivers completed the post-treatment assessment 267 days (SD = 124 days) after the pre-treatment assessment. (Available for supplemental analyses.)

The SACA (Horwitz et al., 2001)is a standardized interview for youths and parents that measures use of mental health services across a broad spectrum (including outpatient, inpatient, and school-based). SACA reliability and validity data are well-documented. Caregivers completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 267 days (SD = 124 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1.(Available for supplemental analyses.)

The BIS is a 23-item instrument that evaluates three domains of functioning: interpersonal relations, school/work functioning, and self-care/self-fulfillment. Its advantages over other global impairment instruments are that it is respondent based, short in administration time, and multidimensional. Caregivers completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 267 days (SD = 124 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1.(Available for supplemental analyses.)

The SCAPI is a measure that tracks child's use of medication as reported by the parent. Caregivers completed the pre-treatment assessment on Day 1, at post-treatment assessment which occurred on average 267 days (SD = 124 days) after the pre-treatment assessment, and at 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 24-month follow-up from Day 1.(Available for supplemental analyses.)