TABLE 1.

Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology Evidence Base Updates: Level of Support Evaluation Criteria

Methods Criteria

M.1. Group design: Study involved a randomized controlled design

M.2. Independent variable defined: Treatment manuals or logical equivalent were used for the treatment

M.3. Population clarified: Conducted with a population, treated for specified problems, for whom inclusion criteria have been clearly delineated

M.4. Outcomes assessed: Reliable and valid outcome assessment measures gauging the problems targeted (at a minimum) were used

M.5. Analysis adequacy: Appropriate data analyses were used and sample size was sufficient to detect expected effects

Level 1: Well-Established Treatments

1.1 Efficacy demonstrated for the treatment in at least two independent research settings and by two independent investigatory teams demonstrating efficacy by showing the treatment to be either:

1.1.a. Statistically significantly superior to pill or psychological placebo or to another active treatment

OR

1.1.b. Equivalent (or not significantly different) to an already well-established treatment in experiments

AND

1.2. All five of the Methods Criteria

Level 2: Probably Efficacious Treatments

2.1 There must be at least two good experiments showing the treatment is superior (statistically significantly so) to a waitlist control group

OR

2.2 One or more good experiments meeting the Weil-Established Treatment level with the one exception of having been conducted in at least two independent research settings and by independent investigatory teams

AND

2.3 All five of the Methods Criteria

Level 3: Possibly Efficacious Treatments

3.1 At least one good randomized controlled trial showing the treatment to be superior to a waitlist or no-treatment control group

AND

3.2 All five of the Methods Criteria

OR

3.3 Two or more clinical studies showing the treatment to be efficacious, with two or more meeting the last four (of five) Methods Criteria, but none being randomized controlled trials

Level 4: Experimental Treatments

4.1. Not yet tested in a randomized controlled trial

OR

4.2. Tested in 1 or more clinical studies but not sufficient to meet Level 3 criteria.

Level 5: Treatments of Questionable Efficacy

5.1. Tested in good group-design experiments and found to be inferior to other treatment group and/or waitlist control group; that is, only evidence available from experimental studies suggests the treatment produces no beneficial effect.

Note. Adapted from Silverman and Hinshaw (2008) and Division 12 Task Force on Psychological Interventions’ reports (Chambless & Hollon, 1998; Chambless et al., 1996), from Chambless and Hollon (1998), and from Chambless and Ollendick (2001).