Citation

Kruger M, Barnes SE, Childs AW. Clin. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/13591045231165191

PMID

36932876

Abstract

Intensive outpatient (IOP) psychiatric treatment is increasingly deployed to meet the needs of psychiatrically high-risk youth; however, documentation of treatment disposition for in-person and/or telehealth modalities following treatment referral is largely unknown. The current study examined psychiatrically high-risk youth baseline treatment disposition patterns and explored variations according to treatment modality (telehealth vs. in-person). Using archival records of 744 adolescents (M(age) = 14.91, SD = 1.60) admitted to a psychiatric IOP, multinomial logistic regressions revealed that commercially insured youth fared better than non-commercially insured youth with respect to treatment completion. When treatment modality was accounted for, youth treated on telehealth were no more likely to be psychiatrically hospitalized compared to youth treated with in-person services. However, youth treated on telehealth dropped out due to excessive absences or withdrawal/refusal to a greater extent than those treated in person. Future studies should examine clinical outcomes in addition to treatment disposition patterns to further understand youth's course of treatment at intermediate level of care settings (e.g., IOP).

Language: en

Keywords

youth; telehealth; intensive outpatient program; Treatment disposition; treatment modality