A Contextual Model for Clinical Mental Health Effectiveness Research

Abstract

Clinical effectiveness research, like clinical efficacy research, is designed to establish a causal relationship between an intervention and an outcome. But instead of focusing on the intervention technology, clinical effectiveness research must focus on the rest of the “real-world” picture. To do that well, the research must be designed to answer complex questions about why the intervention “worked,” for whom, and under what circumstances. It must also incorporate the theory and methods available from the social and behavioral sciences. A model is proposed to help clinical effectiveness researchers accomplish this.