Predicting the Utilization of Intrusive Interventions at a Tertiary Residential Treatment Center

Abstract

A model was tested to evaluate whether certain characteristics (sex, age at admission, abuse history, self harm history, externalizing, and functional impairment) can identify children/youth at highest risk for receiving intrusive interventions in residential care. Participants were 109 children/youth admitted to a tertiary mental health facility. The model predicted the receipt of intrusive interventions with 75.8% accuracy, identifying correctly 82.4% of the clients receiving intrusive interventions, and 68.2% not receiving any. The results indicated that younger males were more likely to be administered an intrusive intervention while in treatment, as well as those children/youth with a history of self harm.

KEYWORDS:

• intrusive intervention
• children and youth
• residential care
• mental health services
• crisis management