Preintake attrition among children and adults waiting for trauma-focused treatment

Exposure to trauma is a pervasive stressor that globally impacts millions of children and adults and can lead to severe adjustment problems. Although receiving evidence-based trauma-focused mental health treatment can effectively reduce distress associated with exposure to trauma, over half of those who schedule an intake session fail to attend, known as preintake attrition. Understanding factors that predict preintake attrition is essential for improving clinical care and triaging the allocation of clinic resources. This study examined clinic archival data sourced from an outpatient training clinic that focuses on delivering evidence-based trauma treatment. Data included records from 249 clients (n = 96 children; n = 153 adults) who completed a phone screen at the clinic between January 2022 and December 2023. Of the 249 total clients placed on the clinic waitlist, 52% (n = 129) attended their intake appointment. Results indicated that certain factors assessed during the initial phone screen (demographic characteristics, index trauma, and referral source) predicted preintake attrition. Notably, waitlist duration also emerged as a predictor of attrition; children who did not attend their intake spent nearly twice as many days on the waitlist compared with children who attended their intake. These findings provide insight into predictors of preintake attrition and suggest potential targets for developing strategies to increase engagement in trauma-focused treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).