CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN CHILD DYSFUNCTION AND PROGRAM INTRUSION - EVIDENCE OF A CONTINUUM OF CARE ACROSS 5 CHILD MENTAL-HEALTH-PROGRAMS

A fundamental goal of the continuum of care concept is high correspond ence between child dysfunction and program intrusiveness. Yet the smal l body of relevant research has identified major discrepancies. We use d the Child Behavior Checklist to compare entry-level behavior problem s of children from five child mental health programs sequenced in orde r of level of intrusiveness: Outpatient clinic, parent training, inten sive family preservation services (IFPS), residental care, and inpatie nt hospitalization. Our results contrast with existing research by sho wing correspondence between level of child dysfunction and program int rusiveness. A possible reason for our contrasting results is that we i ncluded a larger number of mental health programs than were used in pr evious studies. These results are important because they reflect the c ontinuum of care concept being put into practice and support the asser tion that increasing mental health options with alternative community mental health programs increases the chances of appropriate treatment for children in trouble.