NCJ Number
177519
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 242-249
Date Published
1999
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The family-based treatment technique called multisystemic therapy is discussed with respect to its empirical underpinnings, theoretical foundation, clinical features, and effectiveness with serious and violent juvenile offenders.
Abstract
The theoretical foundation and clinical features of multisystemic therapy rest on empirical findings regarding the multidetermined nature of serious antisocial behavior, as well as on social-ecological models of behavior in which the youth and family's school, work, peers, and neighborhood are regarded as interconnected systems with dynamic and reciprocal influences on the behavior of family members. Controlled studies with serious juvenile offenders have revealed that multisystemic therapy has produced long-term reduction in criminal activity, violent crimes, drug-related arrests, and incarceration. The success of multisystemic therapy can be attributed mainly to two factors. The first factor is the match between the areas of intervention and empirically identified correlates and causes of adolescent criminality and violence (e.g., parental discipline, family affective relations, peer associations, school performance). The second factor is the flexible use of well-validated intervention strategies in the natural setting. Table and 37 references (Author abstract modified)