A Pilot Study of Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Health Outcomes During the First 6 Weeks of Trauma-Focused Treatment.

The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between race/ethnicity, intervention type, and mental health outcomes at 6 weeks into treatment in a low-income, diverse community-based sample of adults seeking treatment for traumatic stress. Adult patients (N = 163) received either prolonged exposure (PE) or present centered therapy (PCT). Results suggest significant within group differences with moderate to large effect sizes after six sessions of PE or PCT by race/ethnicity. Logistic regression analyses indicated that after adjusting for significant sociodemographic covariates, at the 6-week time-point the White group had increased likelihood of: probable PTSD compared to the Latinx group; probable anxiety compared to the Black group, Latinx group, and Other group; and probable depression compared to the Other group. Covariate adjusted models also found that at 6 weeks individuals in the PCT group had significantly greater odds of probable PTSD compared to those in the PE group. Implications for behavioral healthcare in a community-based setting are discussed.

Predictors of treatment initiation, completion, and selection among youth offered trauma-informed care.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated determinants of trauma-informed care (TIC) in vulnerable youth populations. The purpose of the present study was to investigate factors associated with initiation, completion, and selection of type of TIC treatment among a sample of 128 treatment-seeking youth who experienced crime or violence. METHOD: This retrospective medical record review study used data collected through routine clinical care at an outpatient, no-cost community mental health clinic. RESULTS: We found that 69.5% of treatment-seeking youth (n = 89) initiated treatment, defined as attending at least 1 TIC session. Among youth who initiated treatment, 61.8% (n = 55) completed a TIC treatment. Predisposing and need characteristics were not significantly associated with initiating or completing treatment in adjusted models. Youth assigned to trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) were more likely to complete treatment compared with those assigned to child-centered therapy (CCT) approaches (odds ratio [OR] = 4.48, 95% CI [1.35, 14.91], p = .014). Logistic regression analyses suggested therapists were less likely to select TF-CBT for children with higher externalizing symptoms (OR = 0.92, 95% CI [0.85, 0.99], p = .035). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest among youth who called in for treatment, many successfully initiated treatment, and of those who initiated, most completed treatment. Empirically supported treatments such as TF-CBT may further promote treatment completion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).