A comparison group study of solution-focused therapy versus "treatment- as-usual" for behavior problems in children

Behavior problems are the most common reason that children and adolescents are referred to treatment. This study presents a rationale for the application of solution-focused therapy to behavior problems and tests this assumption. Children who were referred from the school setting for behavior problems (N = 239) were treated with either solution-focused therapy or "treatment-as-usual" at a school of social work-sponsored mental health clinic. Hypotheses for this quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest design were that treatment engagement would be higher in the solution-focused therapy group and that the solution-focused therapy group children over the "treatment-as-usual" group would show greater improvement according to both parent and child reports. Logistic regression and MANOVA were the data analysis procedures to test hypotheses. Findings were as follows; the solution-focused therapy group had better treatment engagement, but there were no statistically significant differences between groups on perceptions of child behaviors from either parents (Conners Parent Rating Scale) or child reports (Feelings, Attitudes, and Behaviors Scale for Children). An examination of pre- and posttest differences over time for each group indicated similar improvements in treatment according to parent reports. Implications for practice and research are discussed.