Mechanisms of Change in Multisystemic Therapy: Reducing Delinquent Behavior Through Therapist Adherence and Improved Family and Peer Functioning

The mechanisms through which multisystemic therapy (MST) decreased delinquent behavior were assessed in 2 samples of juvenile offenders. Sample 1 included serious offenders who were predominantly rural, male, and African American. Sample 2 included substance-abusing offenders who were predominantly...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 2000-06, Vol.68 (3), p.451-467
Main Authors: Huey, Stanley J, Henggeler, Scott W, Brondino, Michael J, Pickrel, Susan G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Psychotherapy
African Americans - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Case Management
Delinquency
European Continental Ancestry Group - psychology
Families & family life
Family psychotherapy. Systemic therapy
Family Relations
Family relationships
Female
Human
Humans
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquency - ethnology
Juvenile Delinquency - psychology
Juvenile Delinquency - rehabilitation
Juvenile offenders
Male
Medical sciences
Multimodal Treatment Approach
Multisystemic Therapy
Patient Compliance
Peer Group
Peer Relations
Peer relationships
Peers
Professional-Patient Relations
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Psychotherapies. Psychological and clinical counseling
Socioenvironmental Therapy - methods
South Carolina
Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Substance-Related Disorders - rehabilitation
Therapist Characteristics
Therapy
Treatment Outcome
Treatment Outcomes
Treatments
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The mechanisms through which multisystemic therapy (MST) decreased delinquent behavior were assessed in 2 samples of juvenile offenders. Sample 1 included serious offenders who were predominantly rural, male, and African American. Sample 2 included substance-abusing offenders who were predominantly urban, male, and Caucasian. Therapist adherence to the MST protocol (based on multiple respondents) was associated with improved family relations (family cohesion, family functioning, and parent monitoring) and decreased delinquent peer affiliation, which, in turn, were associated with decreased delinquent behavior. Furthermore, changes in family relations and delinquent peer affiliation mediated the relationship between caregiver-rated adherence and reductions in delinquent behavior. The findings highlight the importance of identifying central change mechanisms in determining how complex treatments such as MST contribute to ultimate outcomes.
ISSN:0022-006X
1939-2117
DOI:10.1037/0022-006X.68.3.451