The Effectiveness of Family Therapies for Selected Behavioral Disorders of Childhood

Abstract

This article reviews the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of family‐based aproaches in the treatment of selected childhood behavioral disorders. Although limitations certainly exist, family interventions have consitently improved child and, in some cases, parent functioning in families with children presenting with conduct disorder (CD) and autism. Parents and other family members also directly benefit from child‐focused interventions, gaining in knowledge, child management skills, and attitudinal improvements. Longh‐term follow‐ups indicate that CD and autistic children achieved lasting gains. Similarly, the research on attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) indicates that parent training improves child noncompliance and aggression yet does not consistently affect core symptoms of ADHD. There is no evidence that adding short‐term family interventions improves ADHD child functioning beyond improvements from the use of psychostimulant medications. Some tentative support for family involvement in the treatment of childhood anxieties and fears is reviewed, but clear conclusions await future investigations. Finally, several methodological limitations and needed areas of research are discussed.

ADHD, Temperament, and Parental Style as Predictors of the Child’s Attachment Patterns

“…Parents may encounter much difficulty in trying to find ways to adapt to the needs of children, who by virtue of their configuration of temperamental attributes can be considered vulnerable or difficult, and thus may exacerbate their vulnerability instead of assuaging it. The results suggest that family interventions such as parental style of interaction and management skills training can improve the child's regulating skills and the complex parent-child interactions [42]. The study also supports the approach that views parent training as an essential component in the treatment of children with ADHD [43].…”

Family Interventions with Incarcerated Youth: A Review of the Literature

“…Recent meta-analytic studies support the contention that a family systems approach is the most effective treatment modality for severe behavioral problems in both adolescents (Andrews et al, 1990;Chamberlain & Rosicky, 1995;Shadish et al, 1993) and children (Estrada & Pinsof, 1995). It has been documented that early intervention programs that include family support and education and family interventions designed to enhance childrearing practices promote a decrease in juvenile delinquency (Kumpfer & Tait, 2000;Zigler, Taussig, & Black, 1992).…”

Adoptive Mothers’ Perceptions of Reactive Attachment Disorder Therapy and its Impact on Family Functioning

“…Follow-up studies of the effectiveness of family based therapies for childhood disorders have been found in professional literature, such as the work of Estrada and Pinsof (1995). Additionally, there has been some research that reflects the value of clients' perceptions of therapy, for example the work of Singer (2005).…”