title: Theory development in a family-based therapy for adolescent drug abuse.
abstract: Family-based treatments for adolescent drug abuse and related behavior problems have been developed and evaluated with success. Empirical support exists for the efficacy of family-based treatments, and process studies have begun to identify mechanisms by which these treatments may achieve their effects. This article discusses theory and related clinical refinements in a contemporary family-based intervention, multidimensional family therapy. Expansions in the theoretical basis of the model are discussed. I highlight 2 aspects of the theory evolution process, resulting in a sharper clinical focus on intrapersonal development and on adolescents' and families' functioning vis-à-vis influential extrafamilial ecologies of development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL 33136, USA. hliddle@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Liddle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015897:Comorbidity; D005196:Family Therapy; D006801:Humans; D010553:Personality Development; D011582:Psychological Theory; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome