| This study was conducted to expand the work of DeValk (2004), primarily by enlarging the sample to include all clients, diagnoses, and services during the specified time in order to gain further understanding of the client population served by Kendall County Health and Human Services in Yorkville, Illinois. A six-month sample of 487 clients was examined. Variables included age, gender, race, Global Assessment of Functioning score, diagnosis, and sessions (length of stay). The two hypotheses used by DeValk were retained in order to analyze these in a larger context. Global Assessment of Functioning and number of sessions were hypothesized to be inversely correlated and this was confirmed (r = -.10), consistent with previous findings although significantly reduced (previous r = -.23). Second, it was postulated that depression would be the most frequently treated diagnosis. Consistent with previous findings, this was not confirmed because substance abuse was the most frequently treated diagnosis although depression occurred at a significantly higher rate than expected (X^2 = 27.20). Additional analysis of the variables with comparisonto previous findings is provided along with an estimated regression model for computing sessions based on the variables (R2 of 0.288). A surface regressionanalysis of the residuals is provided and proposed as a correction to the childhood, disruptive behavior, substance, psychosis, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety categories which resulted in an increase in the overall accuracy of the estimate from 76.6% to 89.1%. The profile of the most frequently treated client was refined further as a white male or female, age 13-18 or 30-49, with a Global Assessment of Functioning between 51-60 and a substance, depression, or adjustment diagnosis. |
