Multisystemic Therapy - Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF): Substance misuse, child neglect, and parenting outcomes from an 18-month randomized effectiveness trial.

BACKGROUND

Parental substance misuse impacts millions of children globally and is a major determinant of repeat maltreatment and out-of-home placement. There is little published research on family-based, comprehensive treatment models that simultaneously address parental substance misuse and child maltreatment.

OBJECTIVE

This study reports outcomes from a randomized clinical trial examining the effectiveness of the Multisystemic Therapy - Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF) treatment model with families involved with Child Protective Services due to physical abuse and/or neglect plus parental substance misuse.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Ninety-eight families who had an open case with Child Protective Services in two areas of the state of Connecticut participated.

METHOD

Families referred by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families were randomly assigned to MST-BSF or Comprehensive Community Treatment (CCT). Both interventions were delivered by community-based therapists. Outcomes were measured across 5 assessments extending 18 months post-baseline.

RESULTS

Intent-to-treat analyses showed that MST-BSF was significantly more effective than CCT in reducing parent self-reported alcohol and opiate use and in improving child-reported neglectful parenting. Although means were in predicted directions, new incidents of abuse across 18 months did not differ between groups. The study features high recruitment and engagement rates for a population experiencing multiple involvements with child protection.

CONCLUSION

The outcomes of this study support the effectiveness of MST-BSF, an intensive family- and ecologically- based treatment, for significantly reducing parental alcohol and opiate misuse and child neglect. These findings help in our understanding of how best to address the understudied issue of interventions for child neglect.