Long-term follow-up to a randomized clinical trial of multisystemic therapy with serious and violent juvenile offenders.
In this study, the authors examined the long-term criminal activity of 176 youths who had participated in either multisystemic therapy (MST) or individual therapy (IT) in a randomized clinical trial (C. M. Borduin et al., 1995). Arrest and incarceration data were obtained on average 13.7 (range = 10.2-15.9) years later when participants were on average 28.8 years old. Results show that MST participants had significantly lower recidivism rates at follow-up than did their counterparts who participated in IT (50% vs. 81%, respectively). Moreover, MST participants had 54% fewer arrests and 57% fewer days of confinement in adult detention facilities. This investigation represents the longest follow-up to date of a MST clinical trial and suggests that MST is relatively effective in reducing criminal activity among serious and violent juvenile offenders.
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA. cschaeff@umbc.edu
Cindy M
CM
Schaeffer
Charles M
CM
Borduin
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003415:Crime / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors