COMPREHENSIVE VOCATIONALLY ORIENTED PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR ADOLESCENT DELINQUENT BOYS--A FOLLOW-UP STUDY.

THIS ARTICLE REPORTED A 2- AND 3-YEAR FOLLOWUP STUDY OF 20 DELINQUENT MALE DROPOUTS, HALF OF WHOM RECEIVED 10 MONTHS OF A COMPREHENSIVE, VOCATIONALLY ORIENTED PSYCHOTHERAPY PROGRAM, HALF OF WHOM DID NOT. METROPOLITAN ACHIEVEMENT TESTS AND THEMATIC STORIES WERE USED IN ASSESSMENTS. A SHORT INTERVIEW OBTAINED DATA ON JOB HISTORY, LEGAL AND MARITAL STATUS, AND EDUCATION SINCE THE END OF TREATMENT. THE BOYS WERE EVALUATED IN TERMS OF ACADEMIC LEARNING, SELF-IMAGE, CONTROL OF AGGRESSION, AND ATTITUDE TOWARD AUTHORITY. THE TREATED GROUP CONTINUED TO SHOW MAJOR IMPROVEMENT IN ALL AREAS OF EGO FUNCTIONING AS SEEN IN ACADEMIC LEARNING, PERSONALITY ATTITUDE, AND OVERT BEHAVIOR. IT APPEARED THAT THE RATE OF IMPROVEMENT TENDED TO DECREASE AFTER THE TERMINATION OF FORMAL PSYCHOTHERAPY. A SMALL MINORITY OF THE CONTROL GROUP BEGAN TO SHOW SOME IMPROVEMENT IN EGO FUNCTIONING. THIS WAS ATTRIBUTED TO THE PASSING OF ADOLESCENCE, WHICH MAY HAVE REDUCED SOME OF THE INTENSITY OF THEIR ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR. MOST OF THE UNTREATED BOYS DEMONSTRATED MARKED AND CONTINUED DETERIORATION OVER TIME. SOME WERE SERVING PRISON SENTENCES AS ADULT CRIMINALS. THE AUTHORS CONCLUDED THAT THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC APPROACH HAD BROUGHT ABOUT BASIC PERSONALITY CHANGES DURING THE TREATMENT PERIOD AND HELPED TO INITIATE A PROCESS WHEREBY THE DELINQUENT COULD CONTINUE ON HIS OWN IN GROWING AND ADAPTING TO THE WORLD. THIS ARTICLE IS A REPRINT FROM THE "AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY," VOLUME 36, NUMBER 4, JULY 1966. (JH)