Evaluation of Intervention (Study Set 3)

• Statistical Significance


  Reliability of effect (p-value)
• Statistical Significance


  Reliability of effect (p-value)
• Practical significance


  Magnitude of effect (r and d values)
• What conditions does treatment work?

  • Client characteristics
  • Therapist characteristics
  • Treatment - context characteristics
• Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT)


  • Random assignment to treatment and control
  • Highly standardized
  • Extensive training
  • Time point of assessment
  • Pre, post, follow-up
• Potential Control Groups


  • Wait - List Control - randomly assigned to treatment now or later
  • Treatment as usual - normal or new treatment
  • Best-available Treatment - used as control group
• Efficacy


  • Control types of clients in studies
  • Standardized treatments
  • Random assignments
  • Prioritize internal validity
• Effectiveness


  • Seek representation of client, therapist and treatment context
  • Prioritize external validity
• Benchmark Strategy


  Compare results to those of RCTs in literature
• Meta - Analysis Studies


  • Integrate / combine outcomes of large number of selected studies
  • Substantial variability
• Concerns about ESTs


  • No more informative than others
  • Based against psychodynamic
  • Does not generalize
  • Limited creativity and individualization
• 60 - 90% on EST list are cognitive behavioral
• ESTs focus on skill building
• EST Criteria

  1. Comparison of tx group with no control or placebo
  2. Tx must be superior in comparison
  3. Research must have power to detect moderate effects
  4. Research must be concluded with manual, reliable outcomes measures, and appropriate analysis