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Annotation: randomised trials.

Richard C Harrington1, Sam Cartwright-Hatton, Alan Stein

  • 1University of Manchester, UK. r.c.harrington@man.ac.uk

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|September 19, 2002
PubMed
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Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are crucial in child psychology and psychiatry, but face design and interpretation challenges. Alternative methods and clear reporting are essential for reliable intervention effectiveness evidence.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychology
  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Research Methodology

Background:

  • Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are widely used in clinical child psychology and psychiatry.
  • Understanding the application and limitations of RCTs is vital for evidence-based practice.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the uses of RCTs in child mental health.
  • To explore the scientific basis, challenges, and alternatives to RCTs.
  • To provide recommendations for future RCT design and reporting.

Main Methods:

  • Review of the scientific basis for randomised designs.
  • Exploration of conceptual and methodological issues in RCTs.
  • Discussion of alternative research strategies.

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Main Results:

  • RCTs in child mental health face significant conceptual, practical, and interpretation challenges.
  • Alternative methods may be necessary when RCTs are not feasible or ideal.
  • Future RCTs require explicit primary purpose, unequivocal outcomes, and standardized reporting.

Conclusions:

  • Well-designed and reported RCTs offer strong evidence for intervention effectiveness.
  • RCTs are not the sole method for establishing causality; results require contextual interpretation.
  • Integrating RCT findings with other evidence enhances understanding of treatment efficacy.