A review and empirical comparison of three treatments for adolescent males with conduct and personality disorder: Mode Deactivation Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Social Skills Training.

Abstract

This research study compared the efficacy of three treatment methodologies for adolescent males in residential treatment with conduct disorders and/or personality dysfunctions and documented problems with physical and sexual aggression. The results showed that Mode Deactivation Therapy, an advanced form of cognitive behavioral therapy based on Beck’s theory of modes, was superior to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Social Skills Training in reducing both physical and sexual aggression. At the same time, Mode Deactivation Therapy was the only treatment of the three that significantly reduced sexual aggression for these youth. The results also showed that MDT was superior to CBT and SST in reducing external and internal psychological distress as measured by DSMD and CBCL.