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The Integration of Family and Group Therapy as an Alternative to Juvenile Incarceration: A Quasi‐Experimental Evaluation Using Parenting with Love and Limits
Author(s) -
Karam Eli A.,
Sterrett Emma M.,
Kiaer Lynn
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12187
Subject(s) - recidivism , juvenile , psychology , juvenile delinquency , family therapy , clinical psychology , group psychotherapy , protocol (science) , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , genetics , biology , alternative medicine , pathology
The current study employed a quasi‐experimental design using both intent‐to‐treat and protocol adherence analysis of 155 moderate‐ to high‐risk juvenile offenders to evaluate the effectiveness of Parenting with Love and Limits® ( PLL ), an integrative group and family therapy approach. Youth completing PLL had significantly lower rates of recidivism than the comparison group. Parents also reported statistically significant improvements in youth behavior. Lengths of service were also significantly shorter for the treatment sample than the matched comparison group by an average of 4 months. This study contributes to the literature by suggesting that intensive community‐based combined family and group treatment is effective in curbing recidivism among high‐risk juveniles.