Can School Mental Health Providers Deliver Psychosocial Treatment Improving Youth Attention and Behavior in Mexico? A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of CLS-FUERTE

Abstract

Background: Despite well-established Evidence-Based Treatments (EBTs) for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), many low-resource settings lack EBT access.

Methods: We conducted a school-clustered randomized controlled pilot of CLS-FUERTE (a multicomponent behavioral EBT adapted for children in Mexico) with 58 students. We randomly assigned four schools to receive CLS-FUERTE and four to receive school services as usual. We compared groups post-treatment on parent- and teacher-rated ADHD/ODD symptoms and impairment.

Results: CLS-FUERTE fidelity, attendance, engagement, and acceptability was high and students receiving CLS-FUERTE showed greater improvement in teacher-rated ADHD, ODD, and impairment, as well as parent-rated ADHD and impairment, compared to students receiving usual services.

Conclusions: Pilot results suggest that psychosocial EBTs can be successfully implemented by School Mental Health Providers in Mexico.

Keywords: ADHD; ODD; community; culture; evidence-based treatment; schools.