Two groups of youth aged 12 to 16 were recruited to examine the differences in child outcome measures related to type of mental health service provision. Authors used a sample of seventeen youth in residential treatment and eighteen youth receiving intensive at-home services. The authors used quantitative and qualitative methods to gather information related to symptom severity, psychosocial and daily functioning, and anxiety management for youth entering into and exiting programs.
The authors found that there were significant differences between the two sample groups. Most residential treatment participants were under the Children’s Aid Society’s care, where it was much more likely that their legal guardian was not a parent as compared to participants receiving at-home services. Residential treatment participants also scored worse on most outcome measures then the at-home service group, suggesting that residential treatment is most often offered to youth whose mental health problems are more severe compared to those receiving home-base services. The authors also found youth exiting both home-based and residential programs showed improvements in standardized measurement scores.