NCJ Number
64495
Journal
International Journal of Group Psychotherapy Volume: 29 Issue: 1 Dated: (1979) Pages: 3-37
Date Published
1979
Length
35 pages
Annotation
STUDIES ON THE OUTCOMES OF GROUP TREATMENT OF YOUTHS BETWEEN AGES 11 AND 21 WHO HAVE BEEN LABELED JUVENILE DELINQUENTS BY A STATE OR FEDERAL AGENCY ARE REVIEWED WITH RESPECT TO METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS.
Abstract
STUDY REPORTS VARIED IN THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION GIVEN ON TIME FORMAT, SUBJECTS, THERAPISTS, TREATMENTS, AND OUTCOME MEASURES. METHODOLOGICAL PROBLEMS INCLUDED FAILURE TO SPECIFY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TREATMENT AND LACK OF FOLLOWUP EVALUATION OF DELINQUENTS' ADJUSTMENT TO THE OUTSIDE COMMUNITY. THE STUDIES COULD BE GROUPED BY FOUR OUTCOME CATEGORIES: (1) PERSONALITY AND ATTITUDE MEASURES, (2) BEHAVIORAL MEASURES, (3) RECIDIVISM MEASURES, AND (4) ACHIEVEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE MEASURES. ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE 32 STUDIES OBTAINED POSITIVE RESULTS ON AT LEAST ONE OUTCOME MEASURE, POSITIVE RESULTS WERE OBTAINED ON LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF ALL MEASURES IN ALL OUTCOME CATEGORIES. OVERALL, BEHAVIORAL AND MODELING GROUPS APPEARED TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE, ALTHOUGH THESE GROUPS DID NOT FACILITATE CHANGE ON RECIDIVISM MEASURES. DISCUSSION GROUPS APPEARED TO BE THE LEAST EFFECTIVE TREATMENT ACROSS OUTCOME CATEGORIES. CLOSED MILIEU GROUP TREATMENT SEEMED SUPERIOR TO OPEN MILIEU GROUP TREATMENT ACROSS THERAPY, DISCUSSION, AND BEHAVIORAL GROUPS. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT TREATMENTS WITH DIFFERENT ETIOLOGICAL TYPES OF DELINQUENTS, SHOULD SPECIFY SUBJECT AND THERAPIST CHARACTERISTICS, AND SHOULD ATTEMPT A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF OUTCOME. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--CFW)