Consumer satisfaction with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and its association with treatment outcome: a 3-4-year follow-up study.
BACKGROUND
Consumer satisfaction studies with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) have mainly assessed evaluations in a short-term follow-up perspective. Adolescent reports with CAMHS have not been included nationally.


OBJECTIVE
The purposes of this study were to explore adolescent and parental satisfaction with the CAMHS in a 3-4-year follow-up perspective, and to examine the relationships between reported consumer satisfaction and clinical parameters such as reason for adolescent referral, emotional/behavioral symptoms and treatment outcome.


METHODS
Of 190 adolescent-parent pairs in a sample of CAMHS outpatients, 120 completed a Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire. Parents assessed adolescent emotional/behavior problems both at baseline and at follow-up by completing the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Correlations were examined between adolescent and parental evaluations. The relationships between service satisfaction and symptom load at baseline and follow-up and treatment outcome at follow-up were explored.


RESULTS
Overall, adolescents and parents were satisfied with the services received from the CAMHS. The correlations between adolescent and parent consumer satisfaction ratings were low to moderate. Consumer satisfaction was significantly and negatively correlated with symptom load on the CBCL Total Problems scores at baseline, but not at follow-up. There was no difference in satisfaction levels between those who improved after treatment and those who did not.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the differences in informant ratings of consumer satisfaction, it is important to include both adolescent and parental perceptions in evaluations of CAMHS services and treatment outcomes. Consumer satisfaction should serve as a supplement to established standardized outcome measures.
Cathrine Solberg, M.D., Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology , Trondheim , Norway.
Cathrine
C
Solberg
Bo
B
Larsson
Thomas
T
Jozefiak
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D057189:Checklist; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010290:Parents; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
Adolescence; Consumer satisfaction; Long-term follow-up; Mental health services; Treatment outcome