Brief report: In-home family therapy for adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes: failure to maintain benefits at 6-month follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
To examine 6-month follow-up data on the effectiveness of in-home Behavioral Family Systems Therapy (BFST) for adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes, using a pilot and feasibility study.


METHODS
Eighteen adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes received ten 90-min sessions of in-home BFST. Diabetes-related functioning, general family functioning, and health status were assessed at baseline, immediately following treatment and 6-months after the treatment.


RESULTS
Although the initial posttreatment follow-up evaluation indicated decreases in general family conflict, diabetes-related family conflict, and behavior problems, evaluation at a 6-month follow-up (N = 17) demonstrated that initial posttreatment improvements were no longer present for any of the variables assessed. Metabolic control remained unchanged from baseline to initial posttreatment as well as at 6-month follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
A plausible explanation for this finding is that participating families were experiencing distress that required longer-term treatment for enduring results, beyond what was employed in this study. Further research is necessary before in-home BFST can be considered an effective psychosocial intervention for adolescents with poorly controlled diabetes.
Harris
Michael A
MA
Patient Oriented Research Unit, Campus Box 8208, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. harris_ma@kids.wustl.edu
Harris
Brandonn S
BS
Mertlich
Deborah
D
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005196:Family Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D015438:Health Behavior; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology*
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin