Objective:

To descriptively characterize engagement and symptom change among adolescents receiving care through the Grow Therapy technology-enabled mental health care platform and examine differences by gender and age group.

Approach:

• Study Design: Retrospective cohort study including two intent-to-treat cohorts of adolescents aged 9 to 17 years with moderate depressive (n=9,853) and anxiety symptoms (n=9,996) from January 1, 2022, to April 30, 2024. Intent-to-treat analysis was used to include all participants as randomized, regardless of their adherence to the treatment protocol.
• Data Collection: Deidentified demographic and clinical data were collected as part of treatment engagement, including the number of visits with Grow Therapy providers.
• Treatment Model: Grow Therapy is a technology-enabled platform providing telehealth-delivered psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, allowing parents to select preferred provider characteristics.

Key Findings:

• 72.6% of patients in the depressive cohort also had anxiety symptoms.
• 43.7% of patients in the depressive cohort and 43.2% in the anxiety cohort had sufficient data for clinical symptom analyses.

Interpretation:

The study provides descriptive evidence of engagement and symptom change in adolescents using a technology-enabled mental health platform, highlighting the need for further research on real-world outcomes.

Limitations:

• The study relies on deidentified data, which may limit the depth of analysis and the ability to draw comprehensive conclusions.
• Findings may not be generalizable beyond the specific platform and population studied.

Conclusion:

The analysis contributes to understanding adolescent mental health treatment engagement and outcomes within the context of a technology-enabled platform.