ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2019
Goal setting improves retention in youth mental health: a cross-sectional analysis.
Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Trial
- Working with goals in youth mental health and substance use service: A review of current practice guidelines and recommendations.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Goal consensus and task agreement as predictors of attendance and compliance in community-based treatments for adolescents with emotional disorders.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2025Article
- Goal-oriented practices in youth mental health and wellbeing settings: A scoping review and thematic analysis of empirical evidence.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Article
- Article
- Measuring Goal Progress Using the Goal-Based Outcome Measure in Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario-An Integrated Youth Services Network.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Article
- The impact of mental toughness on subjective well-being among Chinese college students in the post-COVID-19 era.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Mental health interventions for children and young people with long-term health conditions in Children and Young People's Mental Health Services in England.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2024Article
- Understanding Mental Health Clinicians' Perceptions and Concerns Regarding Using Passive Patient-Generated Health Data for Clinical Decision-Making: Qualitative Semistructured Interview Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Are We Comparing Apples with Oranges? Assessing Improvement Across Symptoms, Functioning, and Goal Progress for Adolescent Anxiety and Depression.Child psychiatry and human development · 2022Article
- Article
- Exploring goal planning in mental health service delivery: a systematic review protocol.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Evaluating the quality and safety of health-related apps and e-tools: Adapting the Mobile App Rating Scale and developing a quality assurance protocol.Internet interventions · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThis study explored if a youth-specific mental health service routinely set goals with young people during initial intake/assessment and if goal setting and goal quality in this service was associated with patient retention.
methodsConsecutive initial assessments (n = 283) and administrative service data from two youth-specific health services in Australia were audited for evidence of goal setting, content and quality of the goal and number of therapy services provided after the intake/assessment process. Logistic regression was used to determine if goal setting was associated with disengagement after the assessment session, controlling for drug use, unemployment, age, gender, mental health diagnosis and service site. A consecutive sub-sample of 166 goals (74 participants), was analysed for goal quality. Each goal was assessed against three components of the SMART (specific, measurable, acceptable/achievable, realistic and timed goals) criteria; specific, measurable and timed; and assigned a goal quality score 1-3. A multiple regression explored whether goal quality was predictive of the number of sessions attended, controlling for the same variables as the logistic regression.
resultsGoal setting was evident in the records of 187 participants (66%). Although most goals were for emotional management, 24% addressed improvements in function. Of the 166 goals analysed in depth, 95 were specific, 23 measurable, but none were timed. Not setting goals during initial assessments correlated with service disengagement (OR 0.30, p > 0.001). Goal setting was positively associated with more therapy sessions attended, regardless of goal quality rating.
conclusionsEngagement and retention of young people within mental health services can be challenging. Clinical tools such as goal setting may keep young people engaged in services longer, potentially improving clinical outcomes. Further research exploring the effectiveness of current youth service models on client-specific goal based outcomes is recommended.
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