Treatment outcome for male adolescents in residential placement

The purpose of the study was to assess archival data to determine what variables are related to successful discharge from a residential treatment program for adolescents with behavioral disorders. The records of 120 residents of a Northern Virginia residential treatment program were reviewed from January 1999 to January 2001. The researcher was interested in determining what predictor variables, such as: intake demographic and intake assessments relate to outcome, such as: discharge assessments, discharge planning, and discharge GPA. Results indicated that students who are successfully discharged from this program at intake are typically: (1) older, (2) less oppositional, (3) engage in less externalizing behaviors, (4) receive fewer restrictions, and (5) improve achievement scores while at the facility