A program of family-centered care for adolescents in short-term stay groups of juvenile justice institutions

Living Situation of Juveniles After Secure Residential Treatment: Exploring the Role of Family Centeredness, Child, and Family Factors

To promote the return of juveniles to a home-like environment (e.g. living with (foster)parents) after secure residential treatment (SRT), it is important to know which factors are related to this outcome. The current study examined which characteristics of the juvenile, family, and SRT, including family centeredness and use of systemic interventions, are related to the living situation after discharge. For 259 juveniles (mean age 15.82 years, 127 girls) in SRT and their parents, questionnaires were administered at admission, discharge, and 6-months follow-up. Furthermore, information about the living situation before and after SRT was gathered. Higher likelihood of living in a home-like setting after SRT correlated with more furlough moments with parents, receiving a systemic intervention, and a shorter duration of the SRT. Systemic interventions during SRT and spending furlough moments with parents may have a positive impact on returning to a home-like situation after SRT for juveniles.

Factors associated with family involvement in a family-centered care program among incarcerated French adolescents with conduct disorder

PURPOSE

This study aims to identify the patient characteristics that may influence family involvement in a family-centered care program during detention.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Little is known about the needs of incarcerated adolescents and their families. This exploratory study used a cross-sectional design to collect data from incarcerated adolescents with conduct disorder followed in a French outpatient psychiatric department. Logistic regression models were used to identify the sociodemographic, clinical and family characteristics of these incarcerated adolescents that could predict family involvement in their care.

FINDINGS

Among 44 adolescents with conduct disorder, the probability of family involvement during the adolescent's detention was 9.6 times greater (95% CI 1.2-14.4, p = 0.03) for adolescents with no than for those with cannabis substance use disorder, and family involvement decreased with the age of the adolescent (OR = 0.22, 95% CI 0.1-0.9, p = 0.04).

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

Increased knowledge of the characteristics of these adolescents and their families is needed to develop programs that will increase family interventions by specialty treatment services during detention.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

No study has yet been published on French incarcerated adolescents with conduct disorder. As conduct disorder is one of the most important mental health disorders among delinquent adolescents, this study provides knowledge about these adolescents and the need to involve their parents in their care to prevent the further escalation of problem behaviors.

Treatment Outcomes of a Shortened Secure Residential Stay Combined With Multisystemic Therapy: A Pilot Study

ThuisBest is a newly developed family focused treatment that combines secure residential youth care with multisystemic therapy (MST), allowing adolescents to return home after secure residential youth care more quickly. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine treatment outcomes for adolescents in ThuisBest (n = 86, M_age = 15.2 years, 63% boys) and to what degree those treatment outcomes could be predicted by client characteristics. The results showed that externalizing behavior problems and parenting stress had decreased at the end of treatment. After ThuisBest, 83% of the adolescents did not have new police contact, 72% lived at home, and 89% attended school or work. Almost none of the treatment outcomes could be predicted by any of the client characteristics. ThuisBest seems a promising trajectory, as it reduces the length of the stay in secure residential youth care, and may, therefore, be more cost-effective than standard secure residential youth care. However, given the lack of a control-group and follow-up data, findings must be interpreted as preliminary.