Multisystemic Therapy in families of adopted young people referred for antisocial behaviour problems

Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is an intervention offered to adopted young people presenting with antisocial behaviour. Despite the substantial evidence base for MST in non-adoptive populations, a review of the literature identified that there has been no evaluation of its effectiveness in adoptive populations. This qualitative study aimed to provide the first exploration of adoptive parents’ lived experiences of standard MST in relation to their context as an adoptive family, focusing on aspects of the intervention that promoted or limited change. Ten semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 adoptive parents. Thematic analysis identified five major themes that were service user validated: situation prior to MST; enablers to change; barriers to change; outcomes of MST; and developing MST to better meet the needs of adoptive families. Findings suggest potential advances to current MST practice to meet the needs of adoptive populations, including the importance of appropriate training and supervision, sensitivity working with adoption and the incorporation of adoption related theory. Limitations and future developments are also discussed