Andrée Löfholm, C., Olsson, T. M., & Sundell, K. (2019).
Effectiveness and costs of a therapeutic residential care program for adolescents with a serious behavior problem (MultifunC). Short-term results of a non-randomized controlled trial. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0886571X.2019.1619500
Type of Study:
Pretest-posttest study with a nonequivalent control
Number of Participants:
80
Population:
- Age — 15–17 years
- Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
- Gender — 50% Male
- Status — Participants were youth in a residential facility with a medium high or high risk for reoffending.
Location/Institution:
Sweden
Summary:
(To include comparison groups, outcomes, measures, notable limitations)
This study assessed the efficacy of Multifunctional Treatment in Residential and Community Settings (MultifunC). Measures utilized include the Youth Self-Report, the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument and the Self-Report Delinquency Scale (SRD). Participants were placed in either MultifunC or treatment as usual (TAU). Results indicated that after 24 months, this first evaluation of MultifunC demonstrated that youth participating in MultifunC had a reduced need for residential care in a locked setting as well as out-of-home placement in general compared to youth in the TAU group. The economic analysis found MultifunC to be a cost-effective alternative to TAU due to the reduced need of residential care in locked settings. There were no significant effects on reoffending or psychiatric care. Limitations include the lack of randomization, small sample size, and selection bias.
Length of postintervention follow-up:
Varies