Camp-based psychosocial intervention dosage and changes in independence in young people with spina bifida.

There was no control group or random allocation, so the study cannot show that the camp intervention caused the reported changes. The intervention components were delivered together, so the study cannot identify whether goal setting, counselor discussions, workshops, peer contact, counselor attention, or the overall camp experience produced the association. Participants were campers who chose to attend repeatedly, not a population-based sample, so results may not apply to all young people with spina bifida. Campers with lower parent-reported baseline responsibility attended more often, which may have biased the sample toward those with the most room to improve. The analysis used pre-camp scores only, so it cannot show whether changes happened during camp, after camp, or across summers. Camper-reported independence gains did not remain associated with dosage after adjustment, and parent and camper reports differed. Maturation may partly explain parent-reported independence gains: campers with a gap between camp years had larger gains than those attending consecutively. Effect sizes were small except for parent-reported independence, and the authors say clinical meaningfulness was not established.

The supplied text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.

Do not conclude that repeated camp-based psychosocial intervention causes greater independence in young people with spina bifida. The study had no control group, the intervention components were bundled, and campers who attended less consecutively showed larger parent-reported gains, so maturation or the general camp experience may explain the association.