Multisystemic Therapy for social, emotional, and behavioral problems in youth

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) might possibly not be more effective than other interventions for youth with social, emotional, and behavioral problems, but the evidence is inconclusive.

A Cochrane review included eight studies with a total of 1 270 subjects.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intensive, home-based intervention for families of youth with social, emotional, and behavioral problems, led by a masters-level therapist. The largest study conducted to date (n=409; the only fully independent study with full ITT analysis) found no significant differences in outcomes of MST and usual juvenile justice services; 33% of MST cases were incarcerated, compared with 32% of usual services cases. Pooled results that include studies with data of varying quality tend to favor MST, but these relative effects are not significantly different from zero. The study sample size is small and effects are not consistent across studies; hence, it is not clear whether MST has clinically significant advantages over other services.

Ədəbiyyat

1. Littell JH, Popa M, Forsythe B. Multisystemic Therapy for social, emotional, and behavioral problems in youth aged 10-17. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(4):CD004797.