An International Examination of the Effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) in a Danish Community Sample

Abstract

Youth behavior problems have increased in prevalence in Scandinavian countries. Functional Family Therapy (FFT) has been shown to be an effective intervention across diverse populations and international contexts. The current study examines the effectiveness of FFT within a Danish-community sample in a pre-post comparison design and includes 687 families. Observed outcomes included both parent-and/or youth-reported domains of youth behavior, family dysfunction, school attendance and performance, and substance use. Significant improvements were found in youth behavior, family functioning, and school-related outcomes (e.g., like of school and truancy) despite experiencing a 60% attrition rate in our sample postintervention. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of FFT on a wide scale in a Scandinavian context, adding to previous research that supports the transportability of this intervention.

Effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy in a Non‐Western Context: Findings from a Randomized‐Controlled Evaluation of Youth Offenders in Singapore

“…Although the ANOVA analyses found no improvements in either group, RCIs and clinical recovery rates revealed that a greater proportion of youth in the FFT group reported better family functioning at Time 2 relative to Time 1. In comparison, earlier evaluations generally reported improvements in family functioning (Hartnett et al, 2016;Vardanian et al, 2019). However, it is noteworthy that a recent UK-based RCT also did not find greater improvements on indicators associated with family functioning (Humayun et al, 2017).…”

“…This could be due differences in the psychometric measures employed. Furthermore, previous evaluations have found effect sizes of parent‐reported outcomes to be generally higher than youth‐reported outcomes (Vardanian et al., 2019 ). RCIs and clinical recovery rates yielded convergent findings in partial support of FFT’s effectiveness in relation to well‐being.…”

“…A few recent evaluations have examined the effectiveness of FFT (i) outside the United States and (ii) in relation to outcomes other than recidivism. Studies in Ireland (Graham, Carr, Rooney, Sexton & Wilson Satterfield, 2014 ), New Zealand (Heywood & Fergusson, 2016 ), and Denmark (Vardanian, Scavenius, Granski & Chacko, 2019 ) all reported significant reductions in youth behavioral problems. However, the findings from these evaluations were limited by the absence of a comparison group.…”

Efektifitas Functional Family Therapy Pada Perilaku Bermasalah dan Tingkat Residivis Remaja: A Scoping Review

“…Kemudian dalam perkembangan intervensi ini, sejumlah ulasan telah mengidentifikasi FFT sebagai salah satu program intervensi berbasis bukti yang muncul untuk remaja-remaja berisiko tinggi dan keluarga mereka (Sexton & Turner, 2010). Setelah itu, sejumlah penelitian terbaru telah menilai portabilitas FFT di negara-negara Eropa, termasuk Irlandia, Inggris, Skotlandia, Norwegia, dan Denmark, serta di negara Asia (Vardanian et al, 2020). Namun demikian, berdasarkan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Weisman dan Montgomery (2019), dengan metode multicabang yang berdasarkan pada 15 database, 10 situs web, dan kontak ahli, menerangkan bahwa kualitas ulasan penelitian tentang FFT secara keseluruhan rendah, sehingga penelitian tentang FFT masih membutuhkan penyelidikan yang lebih ketat.…”

“…Selain itu, beberapa penelitian setelahnya menunjukkan bahwa FFT telah terbukti efektif dalam menurunkan perilaku bermasalah dan tingkat residivis pada remaja di berbagai konteks negara. Sejumlah penelitian telah menilai portabilitas FFT di negara-negara Amerika, Eropa, (termasuk Irlandia, Inggris, Skotlandia, dan Denmark) dan Asia (Graham et al, 2013;Hartnett et al, 2015;Marshall et al, 2016;Vardanian et al, 2020). Di negara Asia diwakili oleh penelitian Gan et al (2018) dalam konteks Singapura.…”