Factors associated with early dropout from adolescent psychiatric outpatient treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To examine background factors, psychopathology, and psychosocial impairment among adolescents complying with or dropping out early from outpatient psychiatric treatment.
METHOD: Family background, psychiatric history, and other data were collected prospectively on 143 male and 154 female outpatients aged 12 to 22 years. DSM-II-R psychiatric diagnoses were assessed at the end of treatment.
RESULTS: Fifty-three adolescents (17.8%) attended 1 or 2 treatment appointments, and 33 of them (11.1% of 297) then dropped out; 50.5% of the total attended 3 to 13, and 31.6% attended 14 or more appointments. Low parental socioeconomic status was more common among the early dropouts than the other patient groups (88%, 69%, 63%, respectively). The early dropouts had had more problems with the law than the adolescents attending 14 or more appointments (18%, 6%), but less suicidal behavior (24%, 56%, respectively). Among the early dropouts, mood disorders were less common (21%, 49%), especially major depression (0%, 20%), and substance abuse was more common (9%, 0%) than among patients attending 14 or more appointments.
CONCLUSIONS: Low parental socioeconomic status, not having mood disorder, not having psychotropic medication, and having substance abuse were associated with early dropout of adolescents from outpatient psychiatric treatment.