The child-therapist alliance is believed to be a critical ingredient of successful psychotherapy for youth depression. However, only a few studies have examined the association between the alliance and clinical outcomes in the treatment of youth depression. The present thesis examined the alliance-outcome association in two treatments for youth depression: cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and usual clinical care (UC). Data were from an effectiveness trial conducted in six community clinics (see Weisz et al., 2009). Forty-one youth were randomly assigned to receive CBT or UC from community clinicians. The observed early alliance, alliance shifts, and self-reported alliance did not significantly predict child- or parent-reported depression outcome. However, the direction and strength of the alliance-outcome associations differed across alliance methodology (self- and observer-report) and condition (CBT and UC). Early child alliance did significantly predict treatment satisfaction. Implications and limitations of the results are discussed.

Infants who experience multiple risk factors, such as preterm birth, developmental delay, and low socioeconomic status, are at greater risk for mental health problems. Mental health interventions for infants typically target infants from high-risk groups, and there is strong evidence that some intervention programs for infants can prevent long-term negative outcomes and promote long-term positive outcomes. Despite emerging research and federal initiatives promoting early intervention, minimal research has examined community-based mental health services during infancy. Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of routine care requires close examination of current practices. The current study characterized current usual care practices in infant mental health through a survey of mental health providers. Provider, practice, and client characteristics, provider use of intervention strategies and intervention programs, and provider attitudes toward and knowledge of evidence-based practices are described. Study findings are discussed in the context of previous usual care research. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

A prominent need in the youth psychotherapy literature includes the examination of mechanisms of change within the context of "real world" clinical settings, where the practice of psychotherapy differs significantly from that in controlled clinical trials. In examining mechanisms of change in youth psychotherapy, variables related to parent functioning may be among the most important factors to consider in predicting and promoting good child outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate three important aspects of parent functioning—psychological symptom distress, interpersonal relations, and social role performance—as potential predictors of successful treatment outcomes in a traditional community outpatient treatment setting for children and adolescents. Further, this study examined whether parents indirectly benefited from their children receiving services, expanding our view on the scope and benefits inherent in youth psychotherapy. Parent Symptom Distress, Interpersonal Relations, and Social Role performance were measured using the domains of the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45; Lambert et al., 2004), and youth treatment outcomes were measured using the parent and self-report versions of the Youth-Outcome Questionnaire (Y-OQ; Burlingame, Wells, Lambert, & Cox, 2004; Y-OQ-SR; Wells, Burlingame & Rose, 2003). Using Hierarchical Linear Modeling with this sample of 339 youth, aged 4-17 and their parents, this study examined the relationship between these parent domains and youth progress in therapy. Results revealed that parent Symptom Distress and Social Role performance improved significantly over the course of youth treatment. Further, Social Role performance at intake significantly predicted the rate of change in parent-reported youth outcome; and Interpersonal Relations at intake significantly predicted rate of change in youth-reported outcome. Finally, changes in parent Social Role performance were associated with changes in youth symptoms over the course of treatment. Examining the associations between these variables is an important step toward identifying potential mechanisms of change in youth mental health treatment. The results of this study provide valuable information on the importance of attending to parent functioning in the assessment and treatment of youth mental health issues.

No description available.

La législation relative à la recherche biomédicale est fondée historiquement sur le principe selon lequel la recherche et le soin constituent deux activités distinctes. Perçu comme le garant éthique de tout encadrement normatif de la recherche, ce principe a conduit en France à la création d’un cadre juridique spécifique pour les pratiques médicales expérimentales. En pratique cependant, un protocole de recherche biomédicale est souvent constitué d’actes de recherche intriqués avec les interventions du soin. La distinction entre les pratiques médicales et les interventions expérimentales peut être brouillée par l’objet de la recherche (le soin courant), par la méthodologie employée (l’évaluation en conditions réelles) ou encore par le faible niveau de l’intervention ajoutée par le protocole. Tant les dispositifs juridiques passés que les modèles présents occultent cette évidence en invoquant la séparation du soin et de la recherche. Pourtant la coexistence du soin avec la recherche a créé des tensions que le cadre juridique actuel ne peut résoudre. Il est manifeste que ces dernières n'ont été évacuées en rien par la création de deux régimes juridiques distincts, l'un relatif au soin et l'autre relatif à larecherche biomédicale. De plus, la séparation nette au plan normatif entre les deux activités a empêché l’indispensable réflexion sur l’articulation entre les obligations qui relèvent de la relation médicale et celles qui sont liées à la recherche, telle l'obligation d'assurer la continuité des soins. Le législateur, soucieux de garantir cette frontière, ne traite pas spécifiquement de ces questions. Il est dès lors essentiel de déterminer avec précision le contenu et l’étendue des obligations de soigner ainsi que de mieux encadrer le « soin courant » et le « standard de soin» dans le contexte de la recherche biomédicale. Dans ces conditions, le paradigme juridique centré sur la distinction soin-recherche a-t-il encore un sens? / A biomedical research protocol includes both medical and research interventions. Since its origins, the legal framework has ignored this evidence under the pretext that research and care are two distinct activities. That is why it is all the more essential to determine the nature and the scope of the duty of care and the standard of care used in the context of biomedical research. In parallel, there is a need to distinguish, from a regulatory perspective, this "standard of care" from any equivalent notions used in the context of usual care.

No description available.