| This study had two primary aims. The first was to test the importance of treatment strength and ecological validity, two central constructs of Family Preservation theory, by comparing treatment outcomes between a Family Preservation based treatment and traditional office-based counseling with a population of juvenile delinquents. Subjects were drawn from clients of the Texas Children's Mental Health Plan. Results of the analyses indicated that there were no differences between the two treatments in the severity of acting out behaviors remaining after treatment, nor in the probability of rearrest. A statistically significant advantage for the Family Preservation treatment was found for positive changes in Global Assessment of Functioning scores but the magnitude of the difference was small and probably of limited practical significance. Subjects receiving only the Family Preservation treatment were less than half as likely to be referred for medication related services or for hospitalization/crisis management services.;The second aim of the study was to test variables that have been identified as important in understanding the development and severity of delinquency in terms of their relationship to treatment outcomes, with particular attention to the role of "father" variables relative to variables about the family as a whole. Results suggested both similarities and differences with a couple of counter-intuitive findings. The degree of initial problem behavior, the subject's age, alcohol or drug problem in the father, and family structure all predicted treatment outcomes consistently with research in the development of delinquency. Variables related to financial strain, and the father's criminal activity usually predict increased delinquency but were associated with positive treatment outcomes. Variables related to delinquent peer associations, poor social functioning, substance abuse, and several types of family problems were unrelated to treatment outcomes. Father only variables reflecting alcohol/drug problems and criminal activity were significantly related to outcomes even though similar variables related to the family as a whole were not. |
