Effectiveness of early psychotherapeutic interventions for trauma-exposed children and adolescents: insights from a trauma outpatient clinic.

Background: Limited access to early psychotherapeutic intervention for children and adolescents affected by trauma poses a significant challenge. To address this gap, Trauma Outpatient Clinics (TOCs) provide early psychotherapeutic interventions immediately after trauma exposure.Objective: This study aims to (1) evaluate the medium-term effectiveness of the intervention provided by a TOC, (2) identify predictors of premature therapy discontinuation, and (3) examine risk factors for persistent trauma-related symptoms.Methods: This quasi-experimental study analyses routinely collected healthcare data from children and adolescents treated at a TOC. Changes in trauma-specific symptoms from baseline to the 3-6-month follow-up were assessed using paired t-tests. A logistic regression model predicted therapy discontinuation, and group comparisons identified factors associated with persistent symptom severity (i.e. nonresponse) at 3-6-month follow-up.Results: Trauma-related symptoms significantly decreased from baseline to the 3- to 6-month follow-up. The regression model demonstrated excellent discrimination (AUC: 0.84) in predicting treatment discontinuation in the primary sample (N = 80; 62.5% female; mean age 14.5; SD 2.6). The absence of a trauma narrative during the intervention was significantly associated with therapy discontinuation (B = 2.120, SE = 2.63, p = .006, OR = 8.33, 95% CI [1.82, 38.21]). Exposure to sexual violence was associated with a higher risk for persistent trauma-related symptoms at the 3-to 6-month follow-up (U = 207.0, r = .53, p = .002).Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the early psychotherapeutic intervention at the TOC, as evidenced by a significant reduction in trauma-specific symptoms from baseline to the 3- to 6-month follow up. These findings highlight the need for accessible and comprehensive early interventions for trauma-exposed children and adolescents. Future studies should examine additional factors contributing to therapy discontinuation and nonresponse in larger cohorts to refine treatment strategies and assess long-term outcomes (> 1 year).Trial registration: Retrospectively registered in Open Science Framework (OSF) (https://osf.io/wj7se).