title: Early therapeutic alliance as a predictor of treatment outcome for adolescent cannabis users in outpatient treatment.
abstract: The association of early alliance to treatment attendance and longitudinal outcomes were examined in 356 adolescents participating in a randomized clinical trial targeting cannabis use. Both patient and therapist views of alliance were examined, and outcomes were evaluated over 12 months after numerous other sources of variance were controlled. Patient-rated alliance predicted a reduction in cannabis use at three and six months and a reduction in substance-related problem behaviors at six months. Therapist-rated alliance did not predict outcomes. Neither patient nor therapist alliance ratings were associated with attendance. The findings support the important and often overlooked role that alliance can play in treating substance abusing, often delinquent, adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Intervention Science, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. gdiamond@psych.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Guy S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: Howard A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Liddle
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wintersteen
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Susan H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Godley
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tims
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009042:Motivation; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors