MetaSCED

In youth intervention research field, single-case experimental designs (SCEDs) are already frequently implemented to evaluate treatment effectiveness. While it is really important to investigate these within-person treatment effects, these studies often include one to ten cases. As a consequence, the reach and impact of these studies remain limited. The strength of single-case research is, of course, that it can assess the effects for specific clients, specific treatments, and in specific contexts. Despite this idiosyncracity, we expect that there is some communality, e.g., if a certain effect was found effective for some cases, it may be expected effective for other cases as well. Led by this idea, and to increase the impact of single-case research and aggregate knowledge, we conduct a serie of meta-analyses of single-case research for different youth psychopathologies, using innovative data science and data-analysis methods.

 So far, we published a SCED meta-analysis on internalizing problems, and the one on the externalizing problems is under review. Keep an eye on our website to learn which youth psychopathology area we are currently busy with!

 Maric, M., Schumacher, L., Van den Noortgate, W., Bettelli, L., Engelbertink, W., & Stikkelbroek, Y. (2023). A Multilevel Meta-analysis of Single-Case Research on Interventions for Internalizing Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 26(2), 416-429. 

 Kok, S.I., Fetz, L.M., Stikkelbroek, Y, Leijten, P.H.O, Staaks, J., & Maric, M. (2025). A Multilevel Meta-analysis of Single-Case Research on Interventions for Externalizing Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Open.