Trial reportChild abuse & neglect2021
Multisystemic Therapy - Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF): Substance misuse, child neglect, and parenting outcomes from an 18-month randomized effectiveness trial.
Trial report in Child abuse & neglect, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Unpacking Parenting Intervention Content for Child Maltreatment: A Systematic Review Examining Core Components.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2026Pooled it
- Reducing Problematic Parenting Behaviors, Child Neglect, and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Multisystemic Therapy for Child Abuse and Neglect.Child maltreatment · 2026Article
- Family-centered interventions for people with substance use disorders in low-and middle-income country settings: a scoping review.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- A scoping review of interventions addressing social determinants of health and their influence on opioid use disorder outcomes.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2025Article
- Intergenerational Continuity of Childhood Adversity and Its Underlying Mechanisms Among Teen Mothers and Their Offspring.Child maltreatment · 2024Article
- Family-Focused Prevention and Early Intervention of Substance Use in Pediatric Primary Care Settings.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- Mandated Parent Education: Applications, Impacts, and Future Directions.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundParental substance misuse impacts millions of children globally and is a major determinant of repeat maltreatment and out-of-home placement. There is little published research on family-based, comprehensive treatment models that simultaneously address parental substance misuse and child maltreatment.
objectiveThis study reports outcomes from a randomized clinical trial examining the effectiveness of the Multisystemic Therapy - Building Stronger Families (MST-BSF) treatment model with families involved with Child Protective Services due to physical abuse and/or neglect plus parental substance misuse. PARTICIPANTS AND
settingNinety-eight families who had an open case with Child Protective Services in two areas of the state of Connecticut participated.
methodFamilies referred by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families were randomly assigned to MST-BSF or Comprehensive Community Treatment (CCT). Both interventions were delivered by community-based therapists. Outcomes were measured across 5 assessments extending 18 months post-baseline.
resultsIntent-to-treat analyses showed that MST-BSF was significantly more effective than CCT in reducing parent self-reported alcohol and opiate use and in improving child-reported neglectful parenting. Although means were in predicted directions, new incidents of abuse across 18 months did not differ between groups. The study features high recruitment and engagement rates for a population experiencing multiple involvements with child protection.
conclusionThe outcomes of this study support the effectiveness of MST-BSF, an intensive family- and ecologically- based treatment, for significantly reducing parental alcohol and opiate misuse and child neglect. These findings help in our understanding of how best to address the understudied issue of interventions for child neglect.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.