RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: In 2017, the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP-IAPT) project was extended to deliver low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), delivered by Children's Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs), but to date evaluation is sparse. AIMS: To evaluate low-intensity interventions delivered by trainee CWPs for the treatment of anxiety and depression in a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). METHOD: The evaluation adopted a quantitative, within-subjects, cross-sectional design. The outcome measures of 98 service users aged 8-17 years were included in the evaluation. Service users were children and young people accessing CAMHS in the North East of England. Outcome measures included the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-47) and Goal Based Outcomes (GBOs). Descriptive data relating to the types of interventions used and outcomes following CWP involvement were also explored. RESULTS: Analysis of pre and post intervention data highlighted significant reduction in symptomatology across all RCADS subscales and composite total scales, and significant goal progress as measures by GBO's. Effect sizes ranged from moderate to large (d = 0.75 - 0.90) across all subscales of the RCADS. Large effect sizes were found for depression, total anxiety and total RCADS scores (d = 0.86, d = 1.12, d = 1.14), and GBOs (d = -1.33). CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the potential value of low intensity CBT interventions delivered by CWPs in reducing anxiety and depression in this population. Recommendations for the development of the CWP role and CWP services are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Trastornos de Ansiedad , Servicios de Salud Mental , Humanos , Niño , Adolescente , Estudios Transversales , Proyectos Piloto , Trastornos de Ansiedad/terapia , Ansiedad/terapiaRESUMEN
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people, and some researchers postulate that a mental health crisis will follow. The immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's mental health are now starting to be published, and results appear to be mixed. There is no research, to the authors' knowledge, that empirically examines the functioning of young people following intervention from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Crisis Teams in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. This service evaluation aims to do this using data from an NHS trust that supports 1.4 million people in the North East of England. We compared functioning, as measured by the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS), before and after treatment for young people discharged from the CAMHS Crisis Team between December 2019 and December 2020. ORS scores were significantly higher at the end of treatment (t(420) = -57.36, p < 0.001) with a large effect size (d = -1.56). Fifty eight percent of patients exhibited significant and reliable change (i.e. functioning improved to a 'healthy' level). No patients significantly deteriorated in functioning after accessing the crisis service.