Impact of Family Structure on Adolescent Depression Outcomes in a Collaborative Care Program.

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health
• Mental Health Services
• Family Studies

Background:

• Collaborative care models improve access to mental health services for adolescents.
• Family structure is a significant social determinant of health, potentially influencing treatment outcomes.
• Depression in adolescents requires effective, accessible interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how family structure affects outcomes for adolescents in a primary care depression program.
• To determine if residing with both parents influences program graduation and symptom reduction.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of adolescents (12-18 years) in a Midwestern academic center.
• Medical record review to collect data on family structure and treatment outcomes.
• Logistic regression used to analyze the impact of family structure on graduation and Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Modified for Adolescents (PHQ-9M) scores.

Main Results:

• Adolescents living with both parents (n=179) had higher graduation rates (38.0%) compared to those with parents not together (n=161) (23.6%).
• The 'Both Parents in Household' group also showed significantly higher rates of achieving a PHQ-9M score <5 (64.1% vs 46.2%).

Conclusions:

• Youth residing with both parents experienced more successful outcomes in a collaborative care depression program.
• Family structure may play a crucial role in the effectiveness of adolescent depression treatment within primary care settings.