The Family Dance Around Drug Abuse

The article describes the interactivity of relationships and dynamics of a family with a chemically abusive member.     

Family-Based Therapy for Adolescent Drug Abuse: Knowns and Unknowns

Family-based therapy is one of the most thoroughly studied treatments for adolescent drug abuse. Considerable empirical support exists for the efficacy of family-based therapy in curtailing adolescent drug use and cooccurring behavior problems. This article extends knowledge of the effects of family-based therapy for adolescent drug abuse by reviewing 16 controlled trials and 4 therapy process studies from a treatment development perspective. We articulate knowns and unknowns regarding the outcomes of treatment as well as the components, processes, mechanisms, moderators, and boundaries of effective family-based therapy for adolescent drug abuse. The review highlights areas of progress and future research needs within the specialty of family-based therapy for adolescent drug abuse.     

Case Studies in the Family Treatment of Drug Abuse

This article, with case illustrations, attempts to demonstrate that drug-abuse behavior can be understood more clearly in the light of family loyalties and unresolved family crises than from the perspective that drug abusers are social deviates.1 Drug abuse is viewed as symptomatic, as a signal that both drug abuser and his or her family are having difficulty in getting past a particular stage in the natural unfolding life cycle of a family. Treatment of drug abuse is seen primarily as helping the family to become "unstuck," thereby freeing the individual's and family's energy for the task of self-development and growth rather than expending it to maintain rigid patterns of interaction in an attempt to prevent change.     

Family Relationships as a Predictor of Post-Treatment Drug Abuse Relapse: A Follow-Up Study of Drug Addicts and Their Spouses

This study examined family-of-origin (FO) characteristics of drug addicts and their spouses, who participated in an in-home drug treatment program. Discriminant analysis revealed a set of FO characteristics that differentiated between 25 men who remained drug-free for six months after detoxification and 25 men who suffered a relapse. This set of FO characteristics successfully predicted relapse 30 months later. Men who remained drug-free for the entire period maintained closer relationships with healthy than with unhealthy families, whereas those who relapsed maintained closer relationships with unhealthy families. Compared with those who relapsed, men who remained drug-free also maintained closer relationships with their spouses' families. The findings are discussed in terms of the family system's view of drug abuse, as well as their implications for family-based intervention.     

Brief Strategic Family Therapy: Twenty-Five Years of Interplay Among Theory, Research and Practice in Adolescent Behavior Problems and Drug Abuse

This article describes a systematic program of research that focuses on Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) and the adaptations that were developed based on BSFT principles. The culture-specific origins of BSFT are reviewed, as well as its broader applications to the field of family therapy. Research is reviewed demonstrating that BSFT is a promising family-based approach to treating Hispanic youth behavior problems and drug abuse. Treatment innovations are described that address the combination of intergenerational and cultural differences that occur among youths and their Hispanic parents. Programmatic work is described that challenges basic principles of family therapy by expanding BSFT to a One Person modality and a strategic engagement procedure. Both of these novel approaches are intended to add tools to therapists' repertoire in working with difficult-to-engage families. A preview discussion of results is presented from a randomized clinical trial that is an application of an ecosystemic prevention version of BSFT. The implications of the work of the Center for Family Studies are discussed in the context of the broader service system. Ultimately, this article articulates a way of thinking about adolescent problem behavior, its social interactional determinants, and a range of theoretically consistent family-centered strategies that attempt to change social ecological processes that impact adolescent developmental trajectories.     

Family Dynamics and Substance Abuse: A Preliminary Study

The authors discuss family patterns of interaction that are thought to contribute to the maintenance of substance abuse. Preliminary research findings pertaining to the interaction patterns are also presented. The data suggest that these families are often highly interdependent, that in about 50% of the cases they ideally desire some sort of triangulation between parents and offspring, and that in about 50% of the cases they have or are working toward a hierarchical reversal. Therefore, in addition to evaluating characteristics of the substance abuser, the authors recommend that counselors consider the nature of relationships within the client's family of origin.     

Editorial: Drug Abuse and AIDS

Abstract

The present article presents an overview of the behavioral and psychological components which have been found to be associated with Type A behaviors in children and adolescents. Each component is discussed within the context of the assessment device used to measure it. with methodological concerns being addressed whenever appropriate. Using both observational methods and self-report questionnaires. the four major behavioral components of adult Type A behavior; competitive-achievement striving, time urgency, aggressiveness-hostility and impatience have been found in child/adolescent Type A subjects. Type A children have a lower self-esteem, a more external locus of control and higher anxiety level than their non-Type A counterpart. Coping mechanisms for stress and characteristic cognitions may differ in Type A subjects as they progress from childhood through adolescence. Recommendations for future research are presented.     

The Role of Creativity in Marriage and Family Therapy Practice: A National Online Study

The purpose of this study, using an online methodology, was to investigate therapists' perceptions of the role of creativity in couples' and family therapy. Along with completing a quantitative measure assessing creativity in their work, participants responded to four open-ended questions which addressed the meaning of creativity, characteristics of a creative family therapist, some creative interventions they have used with couples and families, and barriers to their own creativity as a family therapist. A total of 142 marriage and family therapists in 36 states in the United States participated. The findings shed light on the unique importance of creativity in couples and family treatment.     

A Family Therapy Narrative

The evolution of the field of family therapy since its inception in the 1950s is traced in this article. Major contributory forces as well as key pioneers in the first generation and leaders in successive generations are highlighted. This is followed by an elucidation of the conceptual foundations and basic principles undergirding almost all of the main theoretical schools. Expansion in this now vast field is underscored through attention to the proliferation of the number of books and journals addressing family therapy/psychology topics as well as mention of the internationalization of the field. A typology of extant theoretical models is also presented. The article closes with a discussion of contemporary issues and trends.     

Medical Family Therapy: A Theoretical and Empirical Review

Medical Family Therapy (MedFT) is a relatively young sub-specialty founded initially at the intersection of Family Therapy and Family Medicine. The purpose of this article is to synthesize and review scholarly literature covering almost 30?years of history, growth, and available research on MedFT. Eighty-two articles that met specific inclusion criteria were reviewed and the literature was categorized into four distinct themes: (a) Emergence of MedFT in the literature; (b) Contemporary MedFT skills and applications; (c) Punctuating the ??family therapy?? in MedFT; and (d) MedFT effectiveness and efficacy research. What was learned was that MedFT is growing so rapidly there is now a need for a current definition, identification of core curriculum standards and competencies for training, as well as a commitment to produce rigorous research on its effectiveness and efficacy. Recommendations to advance efforts across the foci are provided.     

Likeness: A Hidden Ingredient in Family Therapy

The purpose of this paper is to show how one can progress from a validated theoretical model to its practical application in family therapy. The model applied in this case is the Likeness Continuum consisting of six degrees of Likeness: symbiosis, sameness, similarity, differentness, oppositeness, and alienation. A formal Task to evaluate this model in family therapy is attached to provide a basis for the evaluation of this model in the laboratory and in the therapy office.