Residential Treatment Center - Research On Effectiveness

Research On Effectiveness

Studies of different treatment approaches have found that residential treatment is effective for individuals with a long history of addictive behavior or criminal activity. RTCs offer a variety of structured programs used to accommodate their residents' needs. Despite the controversy surrounding the efficacy of (RTCs), emerging research has demonstrated that community-based residential treatment programs can have positive long-term outcomes for children and youth with behavioral problems. Participants in a pilot program employing family-driven care and positive peer modeling displayed no incidence of elopement, self-injurious behaviors, or physical aggression, and only one case of property destruction when compared to a control group (Holstead, Dalton, Horne, & Lamond, 2010). The main predictor of success for children in RTCs is their behavioral status pre-treatment. Children who display lower rates of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at intake, as well as those with lower levels of exposure to negative environmental factors (e.g., domestic violence, parental substance abuse, high crime rates), showed better results than children whose symptoms were more severe (den Dunnen, St. Pierre, Stewart, Johnson, Cook, & Leschied, 2012).

Additional research demonstrates that planned treatment, or knowing the expected duration of treatment, is strongly correlated with positive treatment outcomes. Long-term results for children using planned treatment showed that they are 21% less likely to engage in criminal behavior and 40% less likely to need hospitalization for mental-health problems (Lindqvist, 2010). Further evidence exists supporting the long-term effectiveness of RTCs for children exhibiting severe mental health issues. Preyde, Frensch, Cameron, White, Penny, & Lazure (2011) found that clients showed a statistically significant reduction in symptom severity 12–18 months after leaving an RTC, results which were maintained 36–40 months after their discharge from the facility. However, although there is a great deal of research supporting the validity of RTCs as a way of treating children and youth with behavioral disorders, little is known about the outcomes-monitoring practices of such facilities. Those that track clients after they leave the RTC only do so for an average of six months. In order to continue to provide effective long-term treatment to at-risk populations, further efforts are needed to encourage the monitoring of outcomes after discharge from residential treatment (Brown, Barrett, Ireys, Allen, & Blau, 2011).

One problem that hinders the effectiveness of RTCs is elopement or "running". A study by Kashubeck, Pottebaum, and Read found that runaways from RTCs were "more likely to have a history of elopement, a suspected history of sexual abuse, an affective-disorder diagnosis, and parents whose rights had been terminated." By employing these characteristics of patients in the design of treatment, RTCs may be more successful in reducing elopement and otherwise improving the probability of clients' success.