[Early intervention family therapy in drug-dependent adolescents, young adults, and their mothers--effect sizes and intraindividual change indices in completers].
OBJECTIVE
An outpatient program of medication-free family therapy for polysubstance drug-dependent adolescents and young adults is evaluated on the basis of multiple criteria. The family therapy provided is brief systemic early intervention.


METHODS
The evaluation was based on intent-to-treat data: prospective, naturalistic, pre-post. Eighty-six families (86 patients in the early stage of drug dependency, 76 mothers, 57 fathers, 36 siblings) enrolled. Individual multi-criteria rates of respondence are determined by means of five goal criteria (addiction status, family function, symptom severity, psychosocial integration, and therapy satisfaction) documented via patient self-reports and expert ratings. Individual outcome values are reported for drug-dependent patients and participating mothers.


RESULTS
Therapy was completed by 72% of the families participating. Of the index patients who completed therapy, 73% showed a significant intra-individual improvement in their addiction status. Both drug-dependent patients and their mothers improved with regard to other goal criteria.


CONCLUSIONS
In a program of early-intervention outpatient therapy, adolescents and young adults diagnosed in an early stage of polysubstance drug-dependency and still in contact with their families of origin, will improve.
Thomasius
Rainer
R
Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Hamburg. thomasius@uke.uni-hamburg.de
Sack
Peter-Michael
PM
Schindler
Andreas
A
Küstner
Udo J
UJ
Gemeinhardt
Brigitte
B
Redegeld
Michael
M
Weiler
Detlef
D
Zeichner
Dirk
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D011599:Psychopathology; D012951:Socialization; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013598:Systems Theory; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D013287:Illicit Drugs