Evaluation and Outcome Research in Community Mental Health Centers

This article reviews procedural and methodological characteristics of 121 outcome studies published by community mental health centers during the decade 1969-1979. These studies were compared with 2906 studies conducted at other mental health treatment sites. Attention is focused on the adequacy of description of sample characteristics, mental health condition treated and treatment or intervention employed, sophistication of study design, and quality of outcome measures. The findings suggest that CMHC studies are less precise and less rigorous than studies at other sites, although there appears to be consistent improvement in research quality over time. The findings raise the question of whether CMHCs generally should conduct high-level outcome research, aside from essential internal program monitoring. A feasible alternative may befor such research to be carried out at a few centers of mental health research excellence and for such findings to be disseminated to the mental health community at large.