Brief report: Follow-up outcomes of multisystemic therapy for adolescents with an intellectual disability and the relation with parental intellectual disability

Research on follow‐up outcomes of systemic interventions for family members with an intellectual disability is scarce. In this study, short‐term and long‐term follow‐up outcomes of multisystemic therapy for adolescents with antisocial or delinquent behaviour and an intellectual disability (MST‐ID) are reported. In addition, the role of parental intellectual disability was examined.

Outcomes of 55 families who had received MST‐ID were assessed at the end of treatment and at 6‐month, 12‐month and 18‐month follow‐up. Parental intellectual disability was used as a predictor of treatment outcomes. Missing data were handled using multiple imputation.

Rule‐breaking behaviour of adolescents declined during treatment and stabilized until 18 months post‐treatment. The presence or absence of parental intellectual disability did not predict treatment outcomes.

This study was the first to report long‐term outcomes of MST‐ID. The intervention achieved similar results in families with and without parents with an intellectual disability.