The role of parental problems in functional family therapy outcomes

Katherine E. Limoncelli, Kevin T. Wolff and Katarzyna Celinska

Children and Youth Services Review, 2019, vol. 106, issue C

Abstract: Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is an evidence-based treatment intervention targeted toward justice-involved adolescents and their families. Prior research suggests that FFT is effective in treating delinquent tendencies, and may also be effective in improving family members' inner strengths, self-efficacy, and psycho-social functioning. While FFT has been demonstrated to reduce youth recidivism, less is known about the role parents may play throughout therapy and how parental problems (i.e., poor knowledge of the child's needs, or inadequate supervision of their child) impede successful treatment. Furthermore, the role of missed therapy sessions is often a neglected area of research, despite having a critical impact on treatment outcomes. Using structural equation modeling, this study explores the effect parental problems have on missed therapy appointments and treatment outcomes using a sample of 117 justice involved youth and their families who participated in FFT. Findings demonstrate that missed therapy sessions act as an important intervening variable between parental problems and therapy incompletion, where parental problems are directly related to missed sessions and missed sessions are directly related to the unsuccessful termination of treatment. Implications for FFT specialists are discussed.

Keywords: Functional family therapy; Missed sessions; Parental problems; Delinquency; Treatment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:106:y:2019:i:c:s0190740919304554

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104483

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