Improvement in Mental Health Outcomes and Caregiver Service Experiences Associated With the START Program
Abstract
This study examined outcomes from the Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources, and Treatment (START) program, a community-based tertiary care model for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs. The sample included 111 START service users and their family caregivers, who were receiving START Clinical Team services, located in the Northeast and Southwest regions of the United States. Results from the analyses found a significant 1-year pre-post improvement in caregiver service experiences and mental health symptoms of the service user. A significant decrease in psychiatric hospitalizations and emergency department visits was also found (all p < .01). These data suggest that START holds promise in improving outcomes, for both the caregiver and service user, while reducing dependence on costly and restrictive hospital-based services.
Publication Date
1-1-2019
Journal Title
American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Publisher
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Allen Press, Inc.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Luther G. Kalb, Joan Beasley, Andrea Caoili, and Ann Klein (2019) Improvement in Mental Health Outcomes and Caregiver Service Experiences Associated With the START Program. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: January 2019, Vol. 124, No. 1, pp. 25-34.
Rights
©AAIDD