Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study
Abstract Background Specialized mental health services for the treatment of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) are generally expensive and labour intensive. They require a trauma-informed approach that may involve multiple services and therapeutic modalities, provided over the course of several months. That s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08267-w |
| _version_ | 1818158577737531392 |
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| author | Hannah Pazderka Matthew Reeson Wanda Polzin Jonathan Jin Gary Hnatko Yifeng Wei Vincent I. O. Agyapong Andrew J. Greenshaw Arto Ohinmaa Peter H. Silverstone |
| author_facet | Hannah Pazderka Matthew Reeson Wanda Polzin Jonathan Jin Gary Hnatko Yifeng Wei Vincent I. O. Agyapong Andrew J. Greenshaw Arto Ohinmaa Peter H. Silverstone |
| author_sort | Hannah Pazderka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Specialized mental health services for the treatment of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) are generally expensive and labour intensive. They require a trauma-informed approach that may involve multiple services and therapeutic modalities, provided over the course of several months. That said, given the broad-ranging, long term negative sequelae of CSA, an evaluation of the cost-benefit analysis of treatment is clearly justified. Methods We performed a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis of data gathered as part of the treatment program at the Be Brave Ranch in Edmonton, Canada to determine the value-for-money of the services provided. We endeavoured to take a conservative, medium-term (5 year) perspective; this is in contrast to short term (1–2 year) effects, which may rapidly dissipate, or long term (15–20 year) effects, which are likely diffuse and difficult to measure. As such, our analysis was based on an average annual intake of 100 children/adolescents (60:40 split) and their families, followed over a five-year timeframe. Financial proxies were assigned to benefits not easily monetized, and six potential domains of cost savings were identified. Results Our analyses suggest that each dollar spent in treatment results in an average cost savings of $11.60 (sensitivity analysis suggests range of 9.20–12.80). The largest value-for-money was identified as the domain of crisis prevention, via the avoidance of rare but costly events associated with the long term impacts of CSA. Somewhat surprisingly, savings related to the area of criminal justice were minimal, compared to other social domains analysed. Implications are discussed. Conclusions Our results support the cost effectiveness of the investment associated with specialized, evidence-based early interventions for CSA. These approaches alleviate severe, negative outcomes associated with CSA, resulting in both economic savings and social benefits. These findings rest upon a number of assumptions, and generalizability of these results is therefore limited to similar programs located in comparable areas. However, the SROI ratio achieved in this analysis, in excess of $11:1, supports the idea that, while costly, these services more than pay for themselves over time. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T15:32:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-698dcac3bacd4336a108335fa424e6b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T15:32:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-698dcac3bacd4336a108335fa424e6b72022-12-22T01:00:01ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632022-07-0122111310.1186/s12913-022-08267-wFive year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment studyHannah Pazderka0Matthew Reeson1Wanda Polzin2Jonathan Jin3Gary Hnatko4Yifeng Wei5Vincent I. O. Agyapong6Andrew J. Greenshaw7Arto Ohinmaa8Peter H. Silverstone9Department of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaBe Brave Ranch, Centre for Treatment of Child Sexual AbuseDepartment of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaCASA Child, Adolescent and Family Mental HealthDepartment of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaSchool of Public Health, University of AlbertaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of AlbertaAbstract Background Specialized mental health services for the treatment of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) are generally expensive and labour intensive. They require a trauma-informed approach that may involve multiple services and therapeutic modalities, provided over the course of several months. That said, given the broad-ranging, long term negative sequelae of CSA, an evaluation of the cost-benefit analysis of treatment is clearly justified. Methods We performed a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis of data gathered as part of the treatment program at the Be Brave Ranch in Edmonton, Canada to determine the value-for-money of the services provided. We endeavoured to take a conservative, medium-term (5 year) perspective; this is in contrast to short term (1–2 year) effects, which may rapidly dissipate, or long term (15–20 year) effects, which are likely diffuse and difficult to measure. As such, our analysis was based on an average annual intake of 100 children/adolescents (60:40 split) and their families, followed over a five-year timeframe. Financial proxies were assigned to benefits not easily monetized, and six potential domains of cost savings were identified. Results Our analyses suggest that each dollar spent in treatment results in an average cost savings of $11.60 (sensitivity analysis suggests range of 9.20–12.80). The largest value-for-money was identified as the domain of crisis prevention, via the avoidance of rare but costly events associated with the long term impacts of CSA. Somewhat surprisingly, savings related to the area of criminal justice were minimal, compared to other social domains analysed. Implications are discussed. Conclusions Our results support the cost effectiveness of the investment associated with specialized, evidence-based early interventions for CSA. These approaches alleviate severe, negative outcomes associated with CSA, resulting in both economic savings and social benefits. These findings rest upon a number of assumptions, and generalizability of these results is therefore limited to similar programs located in comparable areas. However, the SROI ratio achieved in this analysis, in excess of $11:1, supports the idea that, while costly, these services more than pay for themselves over time.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08267-wSocial return on investmentChild sexual abuseChild and adolescent mental healthMental health treatmentPublic policy |
| spellingShingle | Hannah Pazderka Matthew Reeson Wanda Polzin Jonathan Jin Gary Hnatko Yifeng Wei Vincent I. O. Agyapong Andrew J. Greenshaw Arto Ohinmaa Peter H. Silverstone Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study BMC Health Services Research Social return on investment Child sexual abuse Child and adolescent mental health Mental health treatment Public policy |
| title | Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study |
| title_full | Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study |
| title_fullStr | Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study |
| title_short | Five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse (CSA): a social return on investment study |
| title_sort | five year cost savings of a multimodal treatment program for child sexual abuse csa a social return on investment study |
| topic | Social return on investment Child sexual abuse Child and adolescent mental health Mental health treatment Public policy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08267-w |
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