Evaluative research on a therapeutic community for adolescents

Findings from a 2-year research effort assessing the efficacy of the Young People's Unit (YPU) of Friends Hospital are presented. In one study, 79 patients were tested with the Offer Self-image Questionnaire for Adolescents (OSIQ) at the time of their admission to the YPU and at the time of their discharge (50 days later on the average). Data indicate significant improvements on all 11 scales of the OSIQ, but some subgroups improved more than others. A representative sample of 29 patients responded to a third administration of the OSIQ approximately 1 year after their discharge. As a group, these patients had maintained their level of improvement — there were no significant differences between discharge and followup OSIQs. Augmenting the followup sample through telephone contacts, 59 former patients could be separated into 44 treatment successes and 15 less well-adjusted adolescents: no significant differences on their admission OSIQs or on their demographic characteristics could be found. The findings permit the conclusion that the residential treatment approach used here can produce significant improvements which are stable over time, at least for the group as a whole, but that some exceptions exist. Further studies into the reasons for treatment failure are needed. Implications of this research for the reassessment of the unit are discussed.