The Relation Between Children’s Perceived Group Climate and Therapeutic Alliance with Their Mentor in Residential Care: A Prospective Study

Despite the assumed importance of the residential environment for treatment outcomes, there is a gap in research examining the relation between therapeutic alliance and group climate. Therefore, this prospective study examined the association between positive and negative group climate and child–mentor therapeutic alliance in residential youth care in two mixed gender samples, with two measurement occasions at a six-month interval: N = 43 children (58% boys, 42% girls) in age category 4–8 (M = 6.11 years; SD = 1.19; Min = 4.09; Max = 8.79), and N = 72 children (72% boys, 28% girls) in age category 8–15 (M = 11.48 years; SD = 1.69; Min = 8.31; Max = 14.73). We found moderate six-month stability in children’s ratings of group climate and alliance, although stability was weaker for the 4–8 year olds compared to the 8–15 year olds. In addition, positive group climate was rated higher by boys than girls in the group of 8–15 year olds. No effects were found between group climate and alliance ratings over the two measurement occasions. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.