Effects of multisystemic therapy on caregivers of serious juvenile offenders: A 20-year follow-up to a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE

Caregivers of serious juvenile offenders often hold favorable attitudes about criminality and frequently have histories of involvement in antisocial behaviors themselves. In the present study, the authors examined the long-term criminal and noncriminal outcomes for caregivers of serious juvenile offenders who had participated two decades earlier in a randomized clinical trial of multisystemic therapy (MST; Borduin et al., 1995).

METHOD

Participants were 276 caregivers of serious juvenile offenders who were originally randomized to MST or individual therapy (IT). Criminal and civil suit data for caregivers were obtained during a 20.7-year follow-up when caregivers were on average 61.5 years old.

RESULTS

Caregivers in the MST condition had 94% fewer felonies and 70% fewer misdemeanors than did caregivers in the IT condition. In addition, caregivers in the IT condition were sentenced to 92% more days of incarceration and had 50% more family-related civil suits. Moreover, the favorable long-term effects of MST on caregiver criminality and civil suits were mediated by improved family relations during treatment.

CONCLUSION

The present study represents the only follow-up to date of caregivers in an MST clinical trial and demonstrates the broader clinical benefits of a family-based treatment for serious juvenile offenders. Implications of the findings for policymakers and researchers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record