Posttreatment adjustment of clients who drop out early vs. late in treatment

Symptom improvement from intake until 4 months later was assessed for 33 adult and 35 child psychotherapy drop-outs. Client ratings, therapist ratings, and symptom checklist changes were used as measures. Early drop-outs (one or two visits) were less well adjusted than late drop-outs (three or more visits) for both adults and children, though the difference was stronger for adults. Few differences were found between late drop-outs and completers. It was concluded that outcome researchers should use routinely the same procedures for assessing drop-outs' and completers' outcomes and that improvement of early and late drop-outs should be distinguished.