title: Comprehensive treatment for co-occurring child maltreatment and parental substance abuse: outcomes from a 24-month pilot study of the MST-Building Stronger Families program.
abstract: This manuscript presents outcomes from a pilot study of Multisystemic Therapy-Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF), an integrated treatment model for the co-occurring problem of parental substance abuse and child maltreatment among families involved in the child welfare system. Participants were 25 mother-youth dyads who participated in MST-BSF and an additional 18 families with similar demographic and case characteristics who received Comprehensive Community Treatment (CCT). At post-treatment, mothers who received MST-BSF showed significant reductions in alcohol use, drug use, and depressive symptoms; they also significantly reduced their use of psychological aggression with the youth. Youth reported significantly fewer anxiety symptoms following MST-BSF treatment. Relative to families who received CCT, mothers who received MST-BSF were three times less likely to have another substantiated incident of maltreatment over a follow-up period of 24 months post-referral. The overall number of substantiated reabuse incidents in this time frame also was significantly lower among MST-BSF families, and youth who received MST-BSF spent significantly fewer days in out-of-home placements than did their CCT counterparts. These promising preliminary outcomes support the viability of a more rigorous (i.e., randomized) evaluation of the MST-BSF model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Schaeffer
authors.forename: Cynthia Cupit
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Swenson
authors.forename: Elena Hontoria
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Tuerk
authors.forename: Scott W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Henggeler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D002669:Child Welfare; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy; D005196:Family Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057566:Self Report; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Child maltreatment; Child welfare system; Interventions; Multisystemic Therapy; Neglect; Physical abuse; Substance abuse