Effect of Research Questionnaires on Satisfaction with Treatment Care in Suicidal Adolescents and their Parents

Few psychosocial treatment methods have been empirically validated as effective for the prevention of suicide in suicidal adolescents, in part due to concerns that research could compromise quality of care. The study assessed the impact of research batteries on satisfaction with psychiatric care in suicidal adolescents and their parents. Suicidal adolescents presenting to the emergency department of a major urban pediatric hospital were divided into two groups, one receiving treatment as usual and the other exposed to psychometric testing of the type typically used in research protocols both before and after their treatment. Following treatment, the patients of both groups and their parents were given questionnaires to assess satisfaction with the services they had received. Differences between the two groups were analyzed. No significant intergroup differences were found (p>0.05) in either patients or their parents regarding treatment received from the emergency-room team, regardless of whether they had been subjected to the psychometric testing. There is no evidence in the study to support concerns that extensive psychometric testing of the type frequently encountered in research studies undermines patient satisfaction with the care they receive.