MST:
One type of intervention used is the multisystemic treatment (MST), which is
an intensive family and community-based intervention for youths with severe
psychosocial and antisocial behavioural problems. It was developed to target
the multi-determined nature of antisocial behaviour and addresses all
environmental systems that impact juvenile offenders. (Henggeler, 1998) and
as the result, reduce their criminal activity and antisocial behavior, as well as
decrease rates of incarceration and out-of-home placements.
Curtis et al (2004) conducted a review examining the effectiveness of MST by
analyzing the treatment outcomes across all eligible MST outcome studies.
Their results showed that the average effect of MST was d = .55. In the studies,
youths and their families treated with MST were functioning better than 70% of
youths and families treated alternatively by the end of the treatment. It was
shown to be efficient in reducing emotional and behavioral problems in
individual family members, in decreasing youth aggression toward peers and
involvement with deviant peers, and most importantly in reducing youth
criminality.
● Strength of this analysis was that it selected studies that: had random
assignment to one or more control groups, actual clinical sample, pre-
treatment and post treatment assessments, used stats that were suitable for
meta-analysis. Furthermore, the followed-up with the sample for 4 years,
results of which showed that effects of treatment still persistent for up to 4
years.
● One problem with the study was regarding the different average effect sizes
of MST treatments found in efficacy studies (d .81) vs. those in the
effectiveness (d .26). These attenuating effect sizes show MST treatment is
not going to as effective in community practice with presence of a mass of
challenging factors as it was originally thought if these factors are not
possible control for (Henggeler, 2004). It also meant that when the
intervention was not supervised by the creators of the treatment, they were
not as effective. This is a bad things since the aim of any treatment is spread
its conduction around, so that anyone who needs it can access it.
Van der Stouwe et al (2014) conducted a multilevel meta-analysis examine the
effectiveness of MST. The 51 studies with 22 independent samples, containing
332 effect sizes, consisting of N = 4066 juveniles, were analyzed. Small but
significant treatment effects were found on the primary outcome delinquency
and on the secondary outcomes psychopathology, substance use, family factors,
One type of intervention used is the multisystemic treatment (MST), which is
an intensive family and community-based intervention for youths with severe
psychosocial and antisocial behavioural problems. It was developed to target
the multi-determined nature of antisocial behaviour and addresses all
environmental systems that impact juvenile offenders. (Henggeler, 1998) and
as the result, reduce their criminal activity and antisocial behavior, as well as
decrease rates of incarceration and out-of-home placements.
Curtis et al (2004) conducted a review examining the effectiveness of MST by
analyzing the treatment outcomes across all eligible MST outcome studies.
Their results showed that the average effect of MST was d = .55. In the studies,
youths and their families treated with MST were functioning better than 70% of
youths and families treated alternatively by the end of the treatment. It was
shown to be efficient in reducing emotional and behavioral problems in
individual family members, in decreasing youth aggression toward peers and
involvement with deviant peers, and most importantly in reducing youth
criminality.
● Strength of this analysis was that it selected studies that: had random
assignment to one or more control groups, actual clinical sample, pre-
treatment and post treatment assessments, used stats that were suitable for
meta-analysis. Furthermore, the followed-up with the sample for 4 years,
results of which showed that effects of treatment still persistent for up to 4
years.
● One problem with the study was regarding the different average effect sizes
of MST treatments found in efficacy studies (d .81) vs. those in the
effectiveness (d .26). These attenuating effect sizes show MST treatment is
not going to as effective in community practice with presence of a mass of
challenging factors as it was originally thought if these factors are not
possible control for (Henggeler, 2004). It also meant that when the
intervention was not supervised by the creators of the treatment, they were
not as effective. This is a bad things since the aim of any treatment is spread
its conduction around, so that anyone who needs it can access it.
Van der Stouwe et al (2014) conducted a multilevel meta-analysis examine the
effectiveness of MST. The 51 studies with 22 independent samples, containing
332 effect sizes, consisting of N = 4066 juveniles, were analyzed. Small but
significant treatment effects were found on the primary outcome delinquency
and on the secondary outcomes psychopathology, substance use, family factors,
