A Critical Evaluation of the Risk, Need, and Responsivity Principles in Family Interventions for Delinquent Youth: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This meta-analysis aimed to re-examine the available evidence on the effectiveness of the risk, need, and responsivity principles of the RNR model in family interventions for juvenile delinquency. As previous reviews did not examine these principles fully in line with their original definitions, this review aimed to improve the coding of the RNR principles and to re-evaluate their association with intervention effectiveness. A three-level meta-analysis of k  =  31 studies reporting on 71 effect sizes revealed an overall small and significant intervention effect ( d  =  0.382, p < .001). Although larger effects were found for interventions adhering to any of the RNR principles, none of the RNR principles significantly moderated overall intervention effectiveness. Interventions specifically targeting antisocial recreational activities, and interventions taking into account the youth's age and cultural background did significantly increase overall effectiveness. The results reveal that strong and convincing empirical support for the RNR principles is not yet available, which can mainly be explained by limitations in the design of primary studies on the RNR principles and intervention effectiveness. Suggestions are offered to improve the quality of both primary and secondary research that is needed for establishing a better empirical evidence for the widely acknowledged RNR model.