Longitudinal Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy and Residential Treatment

Limited information is available concerning the long-term mental health of adolescents after discharge from residential treatment, wilderness therapy, and therapeutic boarding school. This study aimed to address this knowledge gap by examining the long-term outcomes of these programs and identifying demographic and clinical factors moderating post-treatment outcomes. Using data from the Practice Research Network of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, a subset of 1063 adolescent clients was randomly selected. The researchers explored the trajectories of clients’ mental health from admission to months and years post-discharge. Findings suggested that adolescents entered treatment with clinically significant levels of mental health distress and discharged with significantly improved functioning. These treatment gains were sustained, in some adolescents, up to six and a half years after discharge. Adolescents’ age at admission, grade-point average, and family functioning all impacted trajectories of change. The results of this study align with existing research, which suggests that adolescents often function with improved mental health in the months and years following discharge from private pay out-of-home treatment.