| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 346192 | Children and Youth Services Review | 2014 | 8 Pages |
•Two multilevel meta-analyses were conducted to examine the effectiveness of EQUIP.•EQUIP proved to be effective in enhancing sociomoral development.•Studies in the USA showed higher treatment integrity than studies in Europe.•Only studies in the USA were effective in reducing recidivism.•EQUIP was most effective in reducing recidivism in females and Caucasians.
Two multilevel meta-analyses, consisting of 10 studies and 33 effect sizes (N = 796 subjects) and 6 studies and 22 effect sizes (N = 1179 subjects) were conducted to examine the effects of the EQUIP intervention on the level of sociomoral development and recidivism, respectively; moderating effects of participant, program, and study characteristics were also examined. A significant overall effect on sociomoral development was found (d = .27). The effect of EQUIP on sociomoral development was moderated by the sample size: studies with a larger sample size had smaller effect sizes. For recidivism, a non-significant overall effect size (d = .13) was attributable to strong moderator effects by gender (a significant effect for girls of d = .55), year of publication (older studies yielded smaller effect sizes), ethnicity (smaller effects in non-Caucasians), and especially region, indicating that studies conducted in the USA (showing high treatment integrity) were more effective (d = .32) than studies conducted outside the USA (showing low or negligible treatment integrity, d = − .31). These results suggest the importance of considering potential effects of study, participant characteristics, and program integrity when delivering EQUIP.
