Testing Robustness of Child STEPs Effects with Children and Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Identifying conditions for replicating psychotherapy benefits is crucial.
• Previous trials showed benefits for the modular Child STEPs program for youth anxiety, depression, trauma, and conduct problems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the robustness of beneficial effects of the Child STEPs program.
• To investigate the impact of methodological changes on treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A randomized trial involving 50 community clinicians and 156 youths (ages 6-16).
• Clinicians were assigned to Child STEPs training/consultation or usual care.
• Methodological changes included person-level randomization and group-based consultation.

Main Results:

• Both Child STEPs and usual care groups showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements.
• Child STEPs was not superior to usual care on any outcome measure in this trial.
• This contrasts with findings from previous trials of the Child STEPs program.

Conclusions:

• The benefits of Child STEPs, like other treatments, may be contingent on study design and implementation support.
• Further research is needed to identify conditions that optimize treatment effectiveness.
• Findings highlight the importance of context in psychotherapy research and clinical application.