Youth motivation as a predictor of treatment outcomes in a community mental health system

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between youth motivation and psychotherapy outcomes in routine community mental health settings.

Method: One hundred fifty youth, ages 12-17, from three community mental health clinics completed the Youth Outcome Questionnaire and Treatment Support Measure at frequent intervals over the course of treatment.

Results: Increases in motivation followed a curvilinear trajectory. On average, youth motivation significantly increased over the course of therapy according to both self- and parent reports (p < .001). The slope for youth motivation over the course of therapy was negatively associated with the slope for mental health symptoms (p < .001). Initial youth motivation did not predict overall change or the rate of change in symptoms. However, there was significant individual variability in patterns of youth motivation.

Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that youth show increases in motivation over the course of therapy with most gains occurring in the first few sessions. Because increases in motivation over the course of therapy were related to decreases in mental health symptoms, further research is needed to examine how treatment interventions or other factors such as parent motivation may moderate this relationship. Additional research examining the likely complex relationship between initial youth motivation and treatment outcomes in community mental health settings is needed.

Keywords: adolescent; community mental health; motivation; outcome; psychotherapy; psychotherapy research; usual care; youth.