Evidence-Based Treatments in Community Mental Health Settings: Use and Congruence With Children’s Primary Diagnosis and Comorbidity

Many evidence-based treatments (EBTs) have been identified for specific child mental health disorders, but there is limited research on the use of EBTs in community-based settings. This study used administrative data from a statewide system of care to examine 1) the extent to which EBTs were provided congruent with the child’s primary diagnosis, 2) whether there were differences in effectiveness of EBTs that were congruent or incongruent with the child’s primary diagnosis, and 3) whether comorbidity moderated the effectiveness of EBTs for children based on congruence with their primary diagnosis. The sample consisted of 23,895 children ages 3–17 with at least one of the most common diagnoses (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct problems, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder) who received outpatient psychotherapy. Data were collected as part of routine care, including child demographic characteristics, diagnosis, treatment type, and problem severity. Forty-two percent of children received an EBT congruent with their diagnosis, and these children showed greater improvement than the 35% of children who received no EBT (ES = 0.14–0.16) or the 23% who received an EBT incongruent with their diagnosis (ES = 0.06–0.15). For children with comorbid diagnoses, the use of EBTs congruent with the primary diagnosis was also associated with the greatest improvement, especially when compared to no EBT (ES = 0.22–0.24). Results of the current study support the use of EBTs in community-based settings, and suggest that clinicians should select EBTs that match the child’s primary diagnosis to optimize treatment outcomes, especially for children with comorbidity.