Group Psychotherapy research with

children, preadolescents, and

adolescent
Sheza Farooq
• Present review is ranging from 1929 to 1992, which varied in purpose and
methodology.
• First section consists of summaries of the qualitative and quantitative
includes conclusions and recommendations.
• Remaining sections include author’s review and a comparison.
Group psychotherapy/treatment with children,
preadolescents, and adolescents
• Abramowitz reviewed journal articles (1964 to 1973) included Children (ages 4 to 16). That articles
report scores before and after therapy on a quantitative measure of psychosocial or behavioral well
being. Sample were drawn from School, psychiatric populations. Available evidence of the outcome
studies with children is inconclusive. Few studies suggest group therapy can have deleterious
consequences. Regarding analysis of the process, her focused on group composition.
• Kraft included only adolescents, more empirical and impressionistic than experimental. He surveyed is
on delinquent an neurotically disturbed adolescent. Most researchers conclude adolescents in group
therapy gain from the experience.
• Gazda and Larsen (1938 to 1967) reviewed studies included children, preadolescents, and
adolescents. They required some kind of control group as well as a true experimental design. Sample
were drawn from School or pre-delinquent or delinquent population. Most studies reported significant
changes in favor of treated subjects over untreated controls.
Summary perspective of commonly held beliefs

• Sample taken from institutions rather than clinical population.

• Childhood and preadolescent, and adolescent research should not be combined
because of differences in function of age, developmental level, and type of
treatment.
• Brief therapy (8 to 10 sessions)
• Inexperienced therapist
• Boys rather than girls are subjects of treatment
• Some group have causalities.
• Such findings have led to call for improvement in group therapy.
• More studies are needed involving cases of severe psychological problems.
• Longer treatment periods
• Placebo control groups need to be included in all research designs of
outcome studies.
• Reliability checks on treatment consistency should be completed and trained
therapist.
 Common finding and recommendations
• More research is recommended
• Positive expectations can lead to positive early group experience.
 Outcome research
• Out of 800 studies on group therapy, only 27 of the studies published can be
considered experimental in nature.
• Selection criteria consisted of:
• Population should be children, preadolescents and adolescents between the ages of
6 to 19.
• Treatment had to consist of group therapy
• Research design had to include both experimental and control group.
• The study had to include a report of some kind of attempt to identify quantifiable
outcome.
 Population
• 20 of the 27 studies deal with children, and 7 with adolescents.
• The ages of the children and adolescents in the group range from 7 to 19.
The most popular age range is from 9 to 12.
• Both sexes are equally taken. Sample sizes range from n= 11 to n=185. All
the studies conducted in school setting which highlights significant shift to
school away from institutionalized delinquents.
 Design
• 89% of the designs were constructed to compare pretest/post-test results
of two different groups.
• Almost 63% studies include a no treatment control group for comparison
with the experimental group.
• 30% research designs employs a placebo attention control groups.
• 7% include both a true control and placebo attention control groups.
• No study reflects the ideal design.
 Treatment
• Three major treatment themes are reflected, divorce adjustment groups, groups for
children and adolescent with special need and personal competency enhancement
groups.
• It was a traditional group therapy, more structured groups, length of the sessions
were 45 to 60 minutes. Duration of treatment ranges from 6 to 50 sessions.
• Very little attention is given on vital group dimensions such group composition,
leader characteristics, leadership style, cohesiveness of the group, quality of
interaction, satisfaction of members with group process and group evaluation.
 Dependent measures
• Few studies use author constructed questionnaires. Majority used established
measures to assess pre/post differences.
• The data was undoubtedly biased.
• Choice of instruments often place researchers in less than favorable
positions but still studies demonstrate differences.
 Outcomes
• 85% of the studies reported at least mildly positive pre/post gains on some
of the dependent measures.
• Nearly all show some improvement on target dimensions.
 Summaries
• Measurement strategies and instruments have changes little since
Abramowitz’s (1976) review. One obvious change that has occurred is that
sociometric devices are non-existent in the current set of studies.
• Treatment interventions continue to be relatively brief ( 9 weeks currently
versus 10 to 15 before).
• A traditional approach seems as solid in the present as it was in the past.
• Structured groups and specially designed intervention programs seem to be
gaining a position of increasing use in group work.
However, several studies deserve elaboration, because of :
• Too many design still neglect placebo control groups
• no information about therapeutic intervention and use of novice therapists.
 Process research
• Little attention is given to the process research. Only six studies were
identified that were designed to assess process variables of group.
• Process mean member’s characteristics and group composition, leadership
style and effectiveness, goal clarity and ownership, member’s perceptions of
the curative factors, the quality of group interaction, the level of group
cohesiveness.
• there is a possibility of misreading the data.
• Research design should incorporate element of both process and outcome.
 Clinical Research
• Majority of the literature in group work is comprised of clinical studies which
defined as largely uncontrolled- a study in which an intervention approach or
technique is assessed without comparing the independent variable to a control
groups.
• Group therapy have shown positive result with the issues of divorce adjustment
groups, depressive, suicide adolescents, eating disorder , special population ( sex
offenders, abuse case), drug abuse etc..
• Counsellor emphasized on social skills, anger management training and used
educational and counselling approaches depend on Adlerian principles.
 A research agenda
• There is lack of sophistication in the research designs employ in group therapy research.
1. Each word in the phrase is sufficiently complex to warrant multiple definitions. Such the word
‘’Group’’ what constitutes a group? How large can a small group be?
2. Second word is ‘’Therapy’’ which views in a broader context as consisting of activities that are
therapeutic.
• Though current status shows group therapy research is growing as compare to earlier reviews but
paying lack of attention to
1. Process research
2. Utilization of theoretical models for intervention
3. The necessity of increasing the relative sophistication of research designs
 A Clinical Agenda
• How to make effective use of group dynamics in different ways with different groups.
• Group leaders need to consider members 'normal developmental differences.
• When planning group goals, structure, duration and other group process dimensions and
variables.
• Group leaders should be the same gender as the members.
• Need of use of theory based techniques.
• Need to broad the scope of practice and more focus on normal developmental issues.
• Integrate group interventions with the work of others in the child’s life.