Abstract
This study increases knowledge on effectiveness of treatment for extremely violent (EV) youth by investigating their response to multisystemic therapy (MST). Using data of a randomized controlled trial on effectiveness of MST, we investigated differences in treatment response between EV youth and not extremely violent (NEV) youth. Pre- to post-treatment comparison indicated MST was equally effective for EV and NEV youth, whereas treatment as usual was not effective for either group. Growth curves of within-treatment changes indicated EV youth responded differently to MST than NEV youth. The within-treatment change was for EV youth non-linear: Initially, they show a deterioration; however, after one month, EV juveniles respond positively to MST, indicating longer lasting, intensive programs may be effective in treating extreme violence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 958-977 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 27 Oct 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2018 |
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by Grants 473-04-408 and 8250.0002 from The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research and The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Defence Research and Development Organisation | |
| Not added | 473-04-408 |
Keywords
- externalizing behavior problems
- extremely violent (EV) juvenile delinquents
- multisystemic therapy (MST)
- parent–adolescent relationship quality
- treatment response