Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, Psychology

Limited research has examined the effectiveness, transportability, and dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments [EBTs], especially for children and adolescents (APA Task Force on EBP for Children and Adolescents, 2008; Barlow, Levitt, & Bufka, 1999; Higa & Chorpita, 2008; Kendall & Beidas, 2007). Even when EBTs are implemented in the real-world, psychotherapy has stronger effects in university-based research studies than in community settings (Weersing & Weisz, 2002). Multi-Family Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (MF-PEP) is an adjunctive, manual-driven, group-based EBT for children with mood disorders and their parents which has shown positive results in two randomized controlled efficacy trials (Fristad, Goldberg-Arnold, & Gavazzi, 2002, 2003; Fristad, Verducci, Walters, & Young, 2009; Goldberg-Arnold, Fristad, & Gavazzi, 1999; Mendenhall, Fristad, & Early 2009). The current study examined a pilot implementation of MF-PEP at two community behavioral health centers. Fifteen community therapists were trained in MF-PEP and completed questionnaires after sessions. Twenty community therapists self-selected to refer families and completed questionnaires following MF-PEP. Forty children aged 8 to 12 years (M = 10.15, SD = 1.23) with mood disorders and their parents were referred to MF-PEP and completed questionnaires pre- and post-treatment. Treatment effectiveness and response, consumer and provider satisfaction, and financial feasibility were examined. Paired pre-post data were available for 22 parents and 20 children (9 children for depressive symptom report). Data were analyzed via two-tailed, dependent-measures t-tests. Upon completion of therapy, parents showed significant increases in knowledge of mood disorders, t (21) = -3.36, p = .003, d = .60. Though all measures showed shifts in the hypothesized directions, significant differences were not found for: parental treatment beliefs, t (21) = -1.55, p = .14, d = .23; children's treatment beliefs, t (19) = -0.8 (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mary Fristad PhD, ABPP (Advisor); Steven Beck PhD, ABPP (Committee Member); Michael Vasey PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: