Examining racial and ethnic differences in youth psychotherapy treatment engagement and outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

Research has identified racial/ethnic disparities in mental health treatment engagement, and there have been recent calls to examine effects of mental health treatment engagement on clinical outcomes among youth of color. This study aimed to examine racial/ethnic differences in (a) behavioral and attitudinal engagement, (b) treatment effectiveness, and (c) the associations between engagement and treatment effectiveness.

METHOD

= 200 youth (ages 7-15; 33% White, 28% Black, 25% Hispanic/Latinx, and 14% multiracial; 52% male) and their = 200 parents participated in a randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic psychotherapy for common youth emotional and behavioral problems. Youth and parents reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms and treatment engagement (e.g., behavioral and attitudinal). Multilevel regression models examined variations in youth symptom trajectories by racial/ethnic group.

RESULTS

While all racial/ethnic groups showed comparable attitudinal engagement scores, Black and Latinx youth attended significantly fewer sessions than White and multiracial youth (8-9 vs. 13). However, youth in all racial/ethnic groups showed significant and similar improvements in treatment outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Black and Latinx youth attended fewer sessions than White youth, but their clinical outcomes were similar to those of White youth. Future research should examine the meaning and implications of session attendance in relation to outcomes in youth of color. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).