Research trials

International research

MST was originally developed in the USA building on the best evidence of what worked for keeping young people at home with their families and tackling problems with offending and anti-social behaviour. Over the last 30 years a number of research trials across the world have shown that MST reduces offending and improves family relationships as well as being a cost effective intervention.

Results from international research shows MST leads to:

long-term re-arrest rates reduced by 25-70%
out-of-home placements reduced by 47-64%
families functioning much better
decreased substance use
fewer mental-health problems

And MST’s positive results are long lasting
A 14-year and 22-year follow-up study by the Missouri Delinquency Project showed young people who received MST were still significantly less likely to be rearrested or placed away from home in care or custody than their comparison group.

For more information about Multisystemic Therapy visit the MST Services website.

UK research trials

The Brandon Centre

The Brandon Centre in London has been running a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) programme since 2001 and was funded by the Department of Health and charitable foundations to complete a small Randomised Control Trial of MST in partnership with Camden and Haringey Youth Offending Services. Research and audit outcomes from the Brandon Centre study (December 2011) indicates that young people showed significant reductions in offending compared to usual services and significant improvements in family relationships and also that MST was more cost effectiveness than usual services.

The research team also published a qualitative study detailing families’ experiences of the MST therapeutic processes and outcomes (April 2012), which supports the MST theory of change.

START research trial

To investigate further whether MST is an effective intervention for young people, families and communities here in England and to test which young people and families it is most effective for, a multi-site Randomised Control Trial (RCT) - the START research trial - was commissioned in 2009 by Department of Education, Department of Health and the Youth Justice Board. The START research trial will also monitor outcomes for young people and families and calculate the cost-effectiveness of the programme. The START team is led by Professor Peter Fonagy of University College London, working alongside colleagues in Leeds and Cambridge Universities. START has now completed recruitment of 684 families across 9 MST sites. The study is following young people and families for two years post intervention and will report findings on outcomes for young people and families and on cost effectiveness of the programme in 2015. Click here for more information about the START research trial.