This review evaluates the evidence on the effects of functional family therapy (FFT) on drug abuse reduction for young people in treatment for nonopioid drug use.
Data and Analysis:
We followed Campbell Collaboration guidelines to conduct a systematic review of randomized and nonrandomized trials.
Results:
The search yielded two studies that met inclusion criteria. Only one study provided numerical results on the effect of FFT on drug use reduction.
Conclusions:
There is insufficient evidence to allow any conclusion to be drawn on the effect of FFT for young people in treatment for nonopioid drug use. There is a need for more research and particularly for more methodologically rigorous studies in the field of treatment for young drug users.
AlexanderJ. F.ParsonsB. V. (1973). Short term family intervention: A therapy study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41, 195–201.
2.
AlexanderJ. F.ParsonsB. V. (1982). Functional family therapy: Principles and procedures. Carmel, CA: Brooks & Cole.
3.
AlexanderJ. F.RobbinsM. S. (2010). Functional family therapy. A phase-based and multi-component approach to change. In MurrihyR. C.KidmanA. D.OllendickT. H. (Eds.), Clinical handbook of assessing and treating conduct problems in youth (pp. 245–271). London, England: Springer.
4.
AlexanderJ. F.SextonT. L. (2002). Functional family therapy: A model for treating high-risk adolescents, acting-out youth. In KaslowF. W.LebowJ. L. (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychotherapy (pp. 111–132). New York, NY: Wiley.
5.
AlexanderJ. F.WaldronH. B.RobbinsM. S.NeebA. A. (2013). Functional family therapy for adolescent behavior problems. Washington, DC: American Association.
6.
AmatoL.MinozziS.DavoliM.VecchiS. (2011). Psychosocial combined with agonist maintenance treatments versus agonist maintenance treatments alone for treatment of opioid dependence. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD004147. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004147.pub4
7.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). DSM-IV. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
8.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Text Revision. DSM-IV-TR. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
9.
AustinA. M.MacgowanM. J.WagnerE. F. (2005). Effective family-based intervention for adolescents with substance use problems: A systematic review. Research on Social Work Practice, 15, 67–83.
10.
BarlowD. H. (2010). Negative effects of psychological treatments: A perspective. American Psychologist, 65, 13–20.
11.
BartonC.AlexanderJ.F.WaldronH.TurnerC.W.WarburtonJ. (1985). Generalizing treatment effects of functional family therapy: Three replications. American Journal of Family Therapy, 13, 16–26.
12.
BeaversR.HampsonR. B. (2000). The Beavers systems model of family functioning. Journal of Family Therapy, 22, 128–143.
13.
BranniganR.SchackmanB. R.FalcoM.MillmanR. B. (2004). The quality of highly regarded adolescent substance abuse treatment programs: Results of an in-depth national survey. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 158, 904–909.
14.
CalleyN. G. (2011). Book review: Thomas L. Sexton Functional Family Therapy in Clinical Practice New York: Routledge. The Family Journal, 19, 347–350.
15.
CrowleyT. J.MacdonaldM. J.WhitmoreE. A.MikulichS. K. (1998). Cannabis dependence, withdrawal, and reinforcing effects among adolescents with conduct symptoms and substance use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 50, 27–37.
DeasD.ThomasS. E. (2001). An overview of controlled studies of adolescent substance abuse treatment. The American Journal of Addiction, 10, 178–189.
18.
DishionT. J.McCordJ.PoulinF. (1999). When interventions harm: Peer groups and problem behavior. American Psychologist, 54, 755–764.
19.
EssauC. A. (2006). Epidemiological trends and clinical implications of adolescent substance abuse in Europe. In LiddleH. A.RoweC. L. (Eds.), Adolescent substance abuse—Research and clinical advances (pp. 129–147). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
20.
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. (2013). Annual Report 2013—The state of the drugs problem in Europe. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publication of the European Communities.
21.
FilgesT.AndersenD.JørgensenA.-M. K. (2015). Functional family therapy (FFT) for young people in treatment for non-opioid drug use. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 11, 1–79.
22.
FlickerS. M.WaldronH. B.TurnerC. W.BrodyJ. L.HopsH. (2008). Ethnic matching and treatment outcome with Hispanic and Anglo substance-abusing adolescents in family therapy. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 439–447.
23.
FrenchM. T.ZavalaS. K.McCollisterK. E.WaldronH. B.TurnerC. W.OzechowskiT. J. (2008). Cost-effectiveness analysis of four interventions for adolescents with a substance use disorder. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 34, 272–281.
24.
*FriedmanA. S. (1989). Family therapy vs. parent groups: Effects on adolescent drug abusers. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 17, 335–347.
25.
GalanterM.KleberH. D. (Eds.). (2008). The American psychiatric publishing textbook of substance abuse treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.
26.
HawkinsE. H. (2009). A tale of two systems: Co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders treatment for adolescents. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 197–227.
27.
Health Canada. (2011). Canadian alcohol and drug monitoring survey. Retrieved fromwww.hc-sc.ca
28.
HibellB.GuttormssonU.AhlströmS.BalakirevaO.BjarnasonT.KokkeviA.KrausL. (2009). The 2007 ESPAD report; Substance use among students in 35 European countries. Stockholm, Sweden: The Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
29.
HigginsJ. P. T.GreenS. (Eds.). (2008). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Chichester, England: Wiley-Blackwell.
30.
HogueA.LiddleH. A. (2009). Family-based treatment for adolescent substance abuse: Controlled trials and new horizons in services research. Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 126–154.
31.
HopsH.OzechowskiT. J.WaldronH.DavisB.TurnerC. J.BrodyJ.BarreraM. (2011). Adolescent health-risk sexual behaviors: Effects of a drug abuse intervention. AIDS and Behavior, 15, 1664–1676.
32.
HorsfallJ.ClearyM.HuntG. E.WalterG. (2009). Psychosocial treatments for people with co-occurring severe mental illnesses and substance use disorders (dual diagnosis): A review of empirical evidence. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 17, 24–34.
33.
JamesS.AlemiQ.ZepedaV. (2013). Effectiveness and implementation of evidence-based practices in residential care settings. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 642–656.
34.
JohnstonL. D.O’MalleyP. M.MiechR. A.BachmanJ. G.SchulenbergJ. E. (2014). Monitoring the future national results on drug use: 1975-2013 overview, key findings on adolescent drug use. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan.
35.
KaminerY. (2008). Adolescent substance abuse. In GalanterM.KleberH. D. (Eds.), The American psychiatric publishing textbook of substance abuse treatment (4th ed.) (pp. 527–545). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publications.
36.
LipseyM. W.Tanner-SmithE. E.WilsonS. J. (2010). Comparative effectiveness of adolescent substance abuse treatment: Three meta-analyses with implications for practice, Final Report March 2010. Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
37.
LynskeyM.HallW. (2000). The effects on adolescent cannabis use on educational attainment: A review. Addiction, 95, 1621–1630.
38.
McLellanA. T.LuborskyL. O.O’BrienC. P.WoodyG. E. (1980). An improved valuation instrument for substance abuse patients: The addiction severity index. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168, 26–33.
39.
MinozziS.AmatoL.VecchiS.DavoliM. (2011). Psychosocial treatments for drugs and alcohol abusing adolescents (protocol). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD008283. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008283.pub2
40.
NajavitsL. M.WeissR. D. (1994). Variations in therapist effectiveness in the treatment of patients with substance use disorders: An empirical review. Addiction, 89, 679–688.
41.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2009). Principles of drug addiction treatment. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.
42.
National Survey on Drug Use and Health, The Report. (2007). Young adult’s need for and receipt of alcohol and illicit drug use treatment. Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Retrieved fromhttp://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/157/YoungAdultsDrugTxt.htm
43.
NordegrenT. (2002). The A-Z encyclopedia of alcohol and drug abuse. Parkland, FL: Brown Walker Press.
44.
NordstromB. J.LevinF. R. (2007). Treatment of cannabis use disorders: A review of the literature. The American Journal on Addiction, 16, 331–342.
45.
Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2000). Drug related crime (Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, fact sheet). Washington, DC: Author.
46.
OnederaJ. D. (2006). Functional family therapy: An interview with Dr. James Alexander. The Family Journal, 14, 306–311.
47.
OzechowskiT. J.LiddleH. A. (2000). Family-based therapy for adolescent drug abuse: Knowns and unknowns. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 3, 269–298.
48.
ReevesB. C.DeeksJ. J.HigginsJ. P. T.WellsG. A. (2011). Including non-randomized studies. Unpublished manuscript.
49.
RobbinsM. S.AlexanderJ. F.TurnerC. W.PerezG. A. (2003). Alliance and dropout in family therapy for adolescents with behavior problems: Individual and systemic effects. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 534–544.
50.
RoweC. L.LiddleH. A. (2003). Substance abuse. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29, 97–120.
51.
RoweC. L.LiddleH. A. (2006). Treating adolescent substance abuse: State of the science. In LiddleH. A.RoweC. L. (Eds.), Adolescent substance abuse—Research and clinical advances (pp. 1–21). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
52.
SextonT. (2011). Functional family therapy in clinical practice—An evidence-based treatment model for working with troubled adolescents. New York, NY: Routledge.
53.
SextonT. L.AlexanderJ. F. (2000). Functional family therapy. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
54.
SextonT. L.AlexanderJ. F. (2003). Functional family therapy. A mature clinical model for working with at-risk adolescents and their families. In SextonT.WeeksG.RobbinsM. (Eds.), Handbook of family therapy: The science and practice of working with families and couples (pp. 371–400). New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge.
55.
SextonT. L.TurnerC. W. (2011). The effectiveness of functional family therapy for youth with behavioral problems in a community practice setting. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 1, 3–15.
56.
SheltonK. H.TaylorP. J.BonnerA.van den BreeM. (2009). Risk factors for homelessness: Evidence from a population-based study. Psychiatric Services, 60, 465–472.
57.
SimmonsR.UngemackJ.SussmanJ.AndersonR.AdornoS.AguayoJ.…TirnadyR. (2008). Bringing adolescents into substance abuse treatment through community outreach and engagement: The Hartford youth project. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 40, 41–54.
58.
SobellL. C.SobellM. B. (1992). Timeline follow-back: A technique for assessing self-reported alcohol consumption In LittenR. Z.AllenJ. (Eds.), Measuring alcohol consumption (pp. 41–72). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
59.
StantonM. D.ShadishW. R. (1997). Outcome, attrition, and family–couples treatment for drug abuse: A meta-analysis and review of the controlled, comparative studies. Psychological Bulletin, 122, 170–191.
60.
StigaardD. L.LindstrømM.AndersenD.FilgesT.JørgensenA.-M. K. (2014). Protocol: Functional family therapy (FFT) for young people in treatment for non-opioid drug abuse. Campbell Systematic Reviews. Retrieved fromhttp://campbellcollaboration.org/lib/project/173/
61.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2008). National survey of substance abuse treatment services (N-SSATA): 2007—Data on substance abuse treatment facilities (Office of Applied Studies, DASIS Series: S-44, DHHS Publication no. SMA 08-4348). Rockville, MD: Author.
62.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2010). Results from the 2009 national survey on drug use and health: Volume I. Summary of national findings (Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health Series H-38A, HHS Publication No. SMA 10-4586Findings). Rockville, MD: Author.
63.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Results from the 2011 national survey on drug use and health: Summary of national findings (NSDUH Series H-44, HHS Publication No. SMA 12-4713). Rockville, MD: Author.
64.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2013). Results from the 2012 National Survey on drug use and health: Summary of national findings (NSDUH Series H-46, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4795). Rockville, MD: Author.
65.
United Nations. (2011). What does the UN mean by “youth,” and how does this definition differ from that given to children?Retrieved fromhttp://social.un.org/index/Youth/FAQ.aspx
66.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2010) World drug report 2010. New York, NY: United Nations.
67.
VaughnM. G.HowardM. O. (2004). Adolescent substance abuse treatment: A synthesis of controlled evaluations. Research on Social Work Practice, 14, 325–335.
68.
WaldronH. B. (1997). Adolescent substance and family therapy outcome: A review of randomized trials. In OllendickT. H.PrinzR. J. (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 199–234). New York, NY: Plenum.
69.
*WaldronH. B.SlesnickN.BrodyJ. L.TurnerC. W.PetersonT. R. (2001). Treatment outcomes for adolescent substance abuse at 4- and 7-month assessments. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 69, 802–813.
70.
WaldronH. B.TurnerC. W.OzechowskiT. J. (2005). Profiles of drug use behavior change for adolescents in treatment. Addictive Behaviors, 30, 1775–1796.
71.
WaldronH. B.TurnerC. W.OzechowskiT. J. (2006). Profiles of change in behavioural and family interventions for adolescent substance abuse and dependence. In LiddleH. A.RoweC. L. (Eds.), Adolescent substance abuse—Research and clinical advances (pp. 357–374). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
72.
WaldronH. B.TurnerC. W. (2008). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for adolescent substance abuse. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 37, 238–261.
73.
WellerS. (2006). Situating (young) teenager in geographies of children and youth. Children’s Geographies, 4, 97–108.
74.
WhiteV.SmithG. (2009). Australian secondary school students’ use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2008. Victoria, Australia: The Cancer Council.
75.
WilliamsR. J.ChangS. Y., & Addiction Centre Adolescent Research Group. (2000). A comprehensive and comparative review of adolescent substance abuse treatment outcome. Clinical Psychology, Science, and Practice, 7, 138–166.
