Changes in parenting practices and adolescent drug abuse during multidimensional family therapy.

Abstract

The nature and extent of changes in parenting and the link between parental subsystem changes and reduction in adolescent substance abuse and problem behaviors were examined in a sample of 29 parents and their drug-abusing adolescents. Participants completed 16 sessions of multidimensio nal family therapy. Over two thirds of the parents showed moderate to excellent improvement in parenting. Chi-square goodnessof-fit analyses revealed a statistically significant association between improvement in parenting and reduction in adolescent drug use and behavior problems. Results of this exploratory study provide qualified support for a fundamental tenet of family therapy—that change in the parental subsystem is related to improvement in the problem behavior of adolescents. Family therapy is a credible and effective treatment for a variety of child and adolescent problems (Alexander, Holtzworth-Munroe, & Jameson, 1994; Hazelrigg, Cooper, & Borduin, 1987). Scientific work carried out during the last decade demonstrates the efficacy of certain forms of family therapy with adolescent behavior problems (Henggeler, Borduin, & Mann, 1993; Lebow & Gurman, 1995; Tolan & Loeber, 1993), including substance abuse (Liddle & Dakof, 1995a), a disorder known to be among the most difficult to treat (Lambert, 1982). Particular forms of family-based intervention can retain adolescents and their families in treatment; can significantly reduce drug use in