A Systematic Review of Multisystemic Therapy in Adolescent Sex Offenders

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an intense, family -focused, community -based treatment designed for youth with criminal behaviors. Literature on its usefulness among juvenile sexual offenders (JSOs) remains limited. We conducted a systematic review of published studies assessing effectiveness of MST among JSOs. A comprehensive search of published studies, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta -Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, was undertaken using multiple databases. Search terms included "multisystemic therapy" or "multisystemic family therapy." A total of 542 articles were obtained on initial search. After excluding duplicates, 297 articles were included in further analysis that yielded 48 articles for full -text analysis. Six randomized controlled trials of MST, comprising 231 juvenile sex -offenders, were assessed for final review. MST performed favorably relative to alternative treatments among juvenile sex offenders while also demonstrating lasting treatment effect on sustained follow-up.