A Review of Multisystemic Therapy
Tasia Mamiya
University of Southern California A Review of Multisystemic Therapy
Introduction
History of Multisystemic Therapy At the core of juvenile delinquency lies antisocial behavior. This type of behavior has been shown to correlate with multiple factors both within the youth and the systems, which he or she resides in. However, in the late 1970s, treatments only focused on a few of those risk factors. Multisystemic therapy, or MST, was developed by Dr. Scott W. Henggeler in 1986, with help from Dr. Charles M. Borduin, to address a larger number of these factors in a systems approach (Henggeler, Schoenwald, Borduin, Rowland, & Cunningham, 2009). The theoretical underpinnings of MST lie …show more content…
One such study, conducted by Henggeler et al. (2002), was a 4-year follow-up to a previous study looking at substance abusing and dependent juvenile offenders. The original study found that those in the treatment group reported less substance abuse and fewer days in out-of-home placement than those in the usual services group. The follow-up study looked at 80 of the original 118 juveniles and found a significant long-term treatment effect for aggressive criminal activity, but not for property crimes. While results for illicit drug use were inconclusive, the study also found higher rates of marijuana abstinence for those in the MST condition (Henggeler et al., 2002). This study shows some evidence for the long-term effectiveness of MST even after the discontinuation of treatment.
Other studies have tried to apply MST to adolescents outside of the juvenile delinquent population. Few of the studies have been devoted to looking at MST as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization. Huey et al. (2004) found that MST was more effective in decreasing rates of attempted suicide in a sample of predominantly African American youths, while Schoenwald et al. (2000) found that MST led to a 72% reduction in the number of days of hospitalization after 4 months and even prevented hospitalization for 57% of the participants …show more content…
Independent studies looking at the efficacy of MST treatment in community settings are still relatively new. Much of the research that has been conducted on MST has been performed by developers of the treatment. However, one of the first independent studies of MST found that the treatment was more effective than treatment as usual in treating youth and families in the juvenile justice system (Timmons-Mitchell, Bender, Kishna, & Mitchell, 2006). Treatment as usual consisted of monitoring by probation officers, and appropriate referrals to drug and alcohol counselors, anger management groups, and individual and family therapy. Youths in the MST group were less likely to reoffend, get arrested for new charges, and showed significantly improved functioning at home, at school, and in the community. Since this type of therapy is so intensive and treatment fidelity is so important to positive outcomes, this study shows that the treatment can be taught to others outside of the developing group and still prove effective. However, much more research stands to be conducted in this
Tasia Mamiya
University of Southern California A Review of Multisystemic Therapy
Introduction
History of Multisystemic Therapy At the core of juvenile delinquency lies antisocial behavior. This type of behavior has been shown to correlate with multiple factors both within the youth and the systems, which he or she resides in. However, in the late 1970s, treatments only focused on a few of those risk factors. Multisystemic therapy, or MST, was developed by Dr. Scott W. Henggeler in 1986, with help from Dr. Charles M. Borduin, to address a larger number of these factors in a systems approach (Henggeler, Schoenwald, Borduin, Rowland, & Cunningham, 2009). The theoretical underpinnings of MST lie …show more content…
One such study, conducted by Henggeler et al. (2002), was a 4-year follow-up to a previous study looking at substance abusing and dependent juvenile offenders. The original study found that those in the treatment group reported less substance abuse and fewer days in out-of-home placement than those in the usual services group. The follow-up study looked at 80 of the original 118 juveniles and found a significant long-term treatment effect for aggressive criminal activity, but not for property crimes. While results for illicit drug use were inconclusive, the study also found higher rates of marijuana abstinence for those in the MST condition (Henggeler et al., 2002). This study shows some evidence for the long-term effectiveness of MST even after the discontinuation of treatment.
Other studies have tried to apply MST to adolescents outside of the juvenile delinquent population. Few of the studies have been devoted to looking at MST as an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization. Huey et al. (2004) found that MST was more effective in decreasing rates of attempted suicide in a sample of predominantly African American youths, while Schoenwald et al. (2000) found that MST led to a 72% reduction in the number of days of hospitalization after 4 months and even prevented hospitalization for 57% of the participants …show more content…
Independent studies looking at the efficacy of MST treatment in community settings are still relatively new. Much of the research that has been conducted on MST has been performed by developers of the treatment. However, one of the first independent studies of MST found that the treatment was more effective than treatment as usual in treating youth and families in the juvenile justice system (Timmons-Mitchell, Bender, Kishna, & Mitchell, 2006). Treatment as usual consisted of monitoring by probation officers, and appropriate referrals to drug and alcohol counselors, anger management groups, and individual and family therapy. Youths in the MST group were less likely to reoffend, get arrested for new charges, and showed significantly improved functioning at home, at school, and in the community. Since this type of therapy is so intensive and treatment fidelity is so important to positive outcomes, this study shows that the treatment can be taught to others outside of the developing group and still prove effective. However, much more research stands to be conducted in this