Curative factors in adolescent day programs: participant, therapist, and parent perspectives

Adolescent day programs (ADPs) have treatment outcomes as good as, or better than,
regular outpatient treatment for adolescents who present with emotional, behavioral, social,
and psychiatric disorders. However, they may be more costly, and the mechanisms of change
within them are unknown. Identification of the most important curative factors could
enable the streamlining of these programs. This descriptive study examined the perceptions
of curative factors in ADP treatment as rated by 38 participants, 51 of their parents, and
14 clinicians. Findings were variable across informant groups. Adolescent respondents
reported Universality, Acceptance, Learning from Interpersonal Action, Decision Making,
Altruism, Guidance, and Instillation of Hope to be equally the most helpful curative factors
in the program. Clinicians ranked Acceptance to be the most important factor, followed by
Decision Making, Self-Understanding, Vicarious Learning, and Universality. Parents
ranked Acceptance, Universality, Guidance, and Instillation of Hope as being most helpful.
The findings provide directions for the enhancement of ADPs.