(PS3-33) Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Mood Disorder Partial Hospitalization Program: An Examination of Overall Symptom Improvement and Group Differences

Abstract Text: Mood disorders are highly prevalent conditions associated with significant personal impairment and a large public health burden. Historically, patients with mood disorders were treated either on an intermittent outpatient basis (e.g., weekly psychotherapy) or in acute care settings. In recent decades, greater flexibility in levels of care have emerged for the treatment of mood disorders, including partial hospitalization programs (PHPs). Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of PHPs in the treatment of mood disorders in adults, and an emerging body of literature suggests they can be beneficial for youth. Pilot data from a family-based, mood-focused PHP for children and adolescents showed that patients had lower risk of subsequent hospitalizations, but the evidence for symptom reduction was mixed. Further, literature suggests that individuals from minority groups may experience less reduction in symptoms during treatment compared to majority group peers. The present study sought to 1. evaluate the effectiveness of a mood-focused PHP for adolescents by examining reduction in depressive symptoms and trajectory of change over time and 2. evaluate the role of racial identity as a moderator of the effectiveness of treatment.
Method- Data were obtained via chart review for patients (N = 154; mean age in years = 16.47, SD = 1.49) who participated in the mood disorder PHP at an urban children’s hospital from July 2023-January 2025. Patients’ self-reported racial identities were diverse (42% Black, 35% White, 5% Asian, 8% multiracial, and 11% other). Patients’ primary diagnoses were predominantly depressive disorders (89%). In the PHP, patients participate in daily cognitive/dialectical behavior therapy groups. Services such as medication management, biweekly individual therapy, and care coordination are also provided. At intake and weekly thereafter, patients complete the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a reliable and valid measure of depressive symptoms. To be included for this study, patients needed to have at least two PHQ-9 scores. Multilevel modeling was used when testing trajectories to account for the nested nature of multiple observations per patient.
Results- A large and statistically significant decrease was observed from patients’ initial PHQ-9 scores to their final scores (t (153) = 8.53, p < .01, d = 1.37). The multilevel model with time as a predictor indicated that the overall trajectory of within-person change in PHQ-9 score was significant, indicating significant weekly progress (b = -.82, SE = .09, p < .01). Additional analyses will test for group differences in these changes.
Discussion- This study provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of a mood-focused PHP for adolescents. Unlike other programs described in the literature, this PHP employs a patient-focused CBT/DBT treatment model that allows greater access to adolescents for whom family involvement would be a barrier to treatment. Additional implications will be discussed based on analyses that will explore whether the overall benefit of treatment or rate of change differ for individuals from racial minority groups.