Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatients: Self-reported Parent-adolescent Communication Quality As a Predictor of Treatment Outcome

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying adolescents aged 14 to 17 who are admitted to inpatient psychiatric care to understand how the quality of communication between parents and adolescents affects mental health treatment outcomes. The study focuses on whether better self-reported communication at admission predicts a greater reduction in symptoms six months later. It also examines changes in communication quality during and after treatment and whether poor communication relates to considerations for placing the adolescent outside their family. This is an observational study involving adolescent inpatients at a child and adolescent psychiatry unit. No experimental treatments are given; instead, researchers observe and collect information about communication quality and mental health symptoms over time. Assessments occur at admission, and then 2, 4, and 6 months after admission to track changes and associations with treatment outcomes. Participants will complete self-reported questionnaires measuring communication quality and symptom severity using tools chosen based on their primary diagnosis (anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions). Clinicians will document whether placement outside the family was considered. Researchers will analyze these data along with factors like age, gender, and family socioeconomic status to understand links between communication and treatment success over a six-month period.

Adolescent Psychiatry Inpatients: Self-reported Parent-adolescent Communication Quality and Treatment Outcome