DELINQUENCY RISK FACTORS AND THEIR INTERVENTION METHODS

Abstract

The troubled teen industry often suggests dramatic and extreme interventions for managing problem behavior in adolescents. In reality, juvenile delinquency arises from a complex interplay of individual, family, and environmental risk factors. This paper reviews existing research on risk factors in delinquency and critically examines evidence-based interventions. Individual factors are typically targeted alongside family dysfunction and environmental contributors, while also buttressing protective factors that exist across domains. Three major intervention models are covered, including Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Functional Family Therapy (FFT), and Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC), and each are analyzed in terms of their structure, empirical support, and effectiveness. Although the interventions demonstrate significant promise in reducing recidivism and promoting positive youth outcomes, limitations related to cultural generalizability, therapist adherence, and long-term sustainability remain. Recommendations related to research, theory, and practice are made at the end.