Behavioral couples therapy for male substance-abusing patients: Effects on relationship adjustment and drug-using behavior.

Fals‐Stewart, William; Birchler, Gary R.; O’Farrell, Timothy J.

doi:10.1037/0022-006x.64.5.959

Cited by 128 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Although BCT has been shown to be effective in the treatment of male drug-dependent patients [54, 55] as well as female drug-dependent patients [56], BCT in these studies was investigated as an adjunct to regular addiction treatment and not as a stand-alone treatment. Further research is needed to investigate whether brief BCT is also effective in a stand-alone format in drug-dependent patients, before this should be implemented in regular community care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparative Evaluation in Community-Based Addiction Treatment Centers

Vedel¹,

Emmelkamp²,

Schippers³

2008

Psychother Psychosom

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Background: Alcohol abuse serves as a chronic stressor between partners and has a deleterious effect on relationship functioning. Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) for alcohol dependence, studied as an adjunct to individual outpatient counseling, has shown to be effective in decreasing alcohol consumption and enhancing marital functioning, but no study has directly tested the comparative effectiveness of stand-alone BCT versus an individually focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a clinical community sample. Methods: The present study is a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of stand-alone BCT (n = 30) compared to individual CBT (n = 34) in the treatment of alcohol use disorders in community treatment centers in Dutch male and female alcoholics and their partners. Results: Results show both BCT and CBT to be effective in changing drinking behavior after treatment. BCT was not found to be superior to CBT. Marital satisfaction of the spouse increased significantly in the BCT condition but not in the CBT condition, the differences being significant at the post-test. Patients’ self-efficacy to withstand alcohol-related high-risk situations increased significantly in both treatment conditions, but more so in CBT than in BCT after treatment. Treatment involvement of the spouse did not increase retention. Conclusion: Regular practitioners in community treatment centers can effectively deliver both treatments. Stand-alone BCT is as effective as CBT in terms of reduced drinking and to some extent more effective in terms of enhancing relationship satisfaction. However, BCT is a more costly intervention, given that treatment sessions lasted almost twice as long as individual CBT sessions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparative Evaluation in Community-Based Addiction Treatment Centers

Vedel¹,

Emmelkamp²,

Schippers³

2008

Psychother Psychosom

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“…During the past 10 years, a variety of studies documenting the effectiveness of Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) for substance abuse on reducing IPV have been undertaken at the Families and Addiction Program, Harvard Medical School and the Research Institute on Addictions, University at Buffalo, SUNY (Fals-Stewart et al, 1996;Fals-Stewart et al, 2002;O'Farrell et al, 2004;O'Farrell & Murphy, 1995). BCT has been delivered in a variety of forms in the course of this research.…”

Section: Intervening To End Ipv Through Substance Abuse Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Couples Treatment for Interpersonal Violence: A Review of Outcome Research Literature and Current Clinical Practices

McCollum¹,

Stith²

2008

Violence Vict

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Conjoint couples treatment for interpersonal partner violence (IPV) remains controversial despite a growing body of research and practice experience indicating that it can be effective and safe. In addition, developing typologies of couples who are violent suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” treatment approach to IPV is not appropriate and conjoint treatment may have a place in the treatment of at least some couples. In this article, we review the experimental studies and clinical practices of conjoint treatment. Based on this review, we suggest current best practices for this approach to treatment. Best practices include couples treatment as part of a larger community response to IPV, careful screening of couples for inclusion in couples treatment, modification of typical conjoint approaches to promote safety and ongoing assessment of safety with contingency plans for increased risk.

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“…Fals-Stewart, Birchler, and O'Farrell (1996) conducted the first randomized study of BCT with drug-abusing clients, comparing BCT plus individual treatment to an equally intensive individual-based treatment. Clinical outcomes in the year after treatment favored the group that received BCT on both drug use and relationship outcomes.…”

Section: Research On Bct As a Treatment For Drug Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral Couples Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

Fals‐Stewart

O'Farrell

Birchler

et al. 2009

The Wiley‐Blackwell Handbook of Family Psychology

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For much of the last century, there has been a longstanding and largely unchallenged position held by providers in the substance abuse treatment community, as well as by the public more generally, that alcoholism and drug abuse are fundamentally problems of the individual and are thus most appropriately addressed on an individual basis. More recently, however, awareness of family members' potentially crucial roles in addictive behavior has grown. As understanding has evolved as to how family interaction and dynamics influence substance abuse etiology, maintenance, relapse, and recovery, treatment providers and researchers alike have placed increased emphasis on viewing drinking and drug use from a systemic perspective and, in turn, on treating the family as an approach to addressing members' substance abuse. This is now reflected in different elements of how substance abuse treatment is conceptualized and delivered in contemporary community practice. For example, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) standard for accrediting substance abuse treatment programs in the United States now requires that an adult family member who lives with an identified substance-abusing patient be included at least in the initial assessment (Brown, O'Farrell, Maisto, Boies, & Suchinsky, 1997).Of the various family-based intervention approaches that have been developed and used by providers to treat substance abuse by adults, partner-involved therapies have received the most attention. Indeed, among the various psychosocial interventions presently available to treat alcoholism and substance abuse, it could be reasonably argued that partnerinvolved treatments are the most broadly efficacious. There is not only substantial empirical support for the use of couple-based treatments in terms of improvements in primary targeted outcomes such as substance use and relationship adjustment, but also in other areas that are of clear public health significance, including intimate partner violence, children's adjustment, and cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness.

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Behavioral couples therapy for male substance-abusing patients: Effects on relationship adjustment and drug-using behavior.

Cited by 128 publications

References 26 publications

Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparative Evaluation in Community-Based Addiction Treatment Centers

Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Couples Therapy in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Comparative Evaluation in Community-Based Addiction Treatment Centers

Couples Treatment for Interpersonal Violence: A Review of Outcome Research Literature and Current Clinical Practices

Behavioral Couples Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

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