Objective: Many patients drop out of treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); some clinicians believe that trauma-focused treatments increase dropout. Method: We conducted a meta-analysis of dropout among active treatments in clinical trials for PTSD (42 studies; 17 direct comparisons). Results: The average dropout rate was 18%, but it…

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to assess the overall effectiveness of and dropout from individual and group outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for adults with a primary diagnosis of unipolar depressive disorder in routine clinical practice. Method: We conducted a random effects meta-analysis of 34 nonrandomized…

Objective: Premature discontinuation from therapy is a widespread problem that impedes the delivery of otherwise effective psychological interventions. The most recent comprehensive review found an average dropout rate of 47% across 125 studies (Wierzbicki & Pekarik, 1993); however, given a number of changes in the field over the past 2 decades,…

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether systematic reviews investigating psychotherapeutic interventions for depression are affected by publication bias. Only homogeneous data sets were included, as heterogeneous data sets can distort statistical tests of publication bias. Method: We applied Begg and Mazumdar's adjusted rank…

Objective: Randomized controlled trials have attested the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing psychotic symptoms. Now, studies are needed to investigate its effectiveness in routine clinical practice settings. Method: Eighty patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders who were seeking outpatient treatment were randomized…

Clients at a mental health center were studied from intake until their fifth appointment and excuses to avoid contact were recorded and correlated with dropout. An 82 percent identification rate of dropouts was achieved, while the base rate of dropouts was 53 percent of the sample. (NG)

The authors examined the therapeutic responses of psychopathic sex offenders (greater than or equal to 25 Psychopathy Checklist-Revised; PCL-R) in terms of treatment dropout and therapeutic change, as well as sexual and violent recidivism over a 10-year follow-up among 156 federally incarcerated sex offenders treated in a high-intensity inpatient…

Despite the overall efficacy of psychotherapy, dropouts are substantial, many clients do not benefit, therapists vary in effectiveness, and there may be a crisis of confidence among consumers. A research paradigm called "patient-focused research"--a method of enhancing outcome via continuous progress feedback--holds promise to address these…

Objective: The present study investigated the influence of race on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment among 94 African American and 214 Caucasian female victims of interpersonal violence participating in 2 studies of cognitive-behavioral treatment for PTSD that were conducted sequentially and continuously. Method: In each study,…

Several studies have documented low rates of agreement between clinician- and researcher-generated diagnoses. However, little is known about whether this lack of agreement has implications for the processes and outcomes of subsequent treatment. To study this possibility, the authors used diagnostic agreement to predict therapy engagement and…

Previous reviews of outpatient interventions for adolescent substance abuse have been limited in the extent to which they considered the methodological quality of individual studies. The authors assessed 31 randomized trials of outpatient interventions for adolescent substance abuse on 14 attributes of trial quality. A quality of evidence score…

Tested patients (N=80) in an alcoholic rehabilitation program for field dependence with the Embedded Figures Test and for logical reasoning with two Piagetian tasks: the pendulum and the plant problem. Results suggested that cognitive factors play a more important role in alcoholics' response to treatment than has been recognized. (LLL)

The present experiment provided evidence in support of the hypothesis that self monitoring is a reactive data gathering procedure; the only measure to show clear cut self monitoring effects was the one which students were monitoring. (Author)

Examined factors that predict dropping out of therapy among children referred for treatment of oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior. Several factors related to family (socioeconomic disadvantage, adverse child-rearing practice), parent (stress, life events, history of antisocial behavior), and child functioning (severity and…

Studied six- to 17-year-old outpatients who completed intake but did not enter therapy with those in therapy for an average of 13 sessions. Compared groups on demographics, Child Behavior Checklist broadband and narrow-band syndrome scores, Children's Depression Inventory scores, therapist age and sex, and on parent perceptions of clinic and…