Treatment efficacy of multiple family therapy in helping Chinese children of depressed parents in Hong Kong, China

Abstract

This article reports results of a study that assessed the efficacy of multiple family therapy (MFT) for helping children of depressed parent(s), using a quasi‐randomized controlled trial design. In total, 76 children participated in the study, with 51 children were assigned to the experimental group (EG) and 25 to the comparison group (CG). The EG children and their parents completed the three‐month MFT program, while the CG children and their parents attended two psychoeducational talks scheduled at the same time as the MFT. A group × Time repeated measure ANCOVA did not discern the intervention types having any effect on children's lives in the post‐treatment phase or at the three‐month follow‐up. However, the MFT brought some promising positive changes in the EG children's perceived social support, both overall and that from the father and other family members at three‐month follow‐up; compared to the CG children, the EG children also attached more importance to the support from their mothers in the post‐treatment phase and that from other family members at the three‐month follow‐up. The results implied the potential efficacy of the MFT in facilitating an increase in the overall social support of children of depressed parents and their positive interactions with both the healthy and the depressed parent and other family members. Owing to multiple statistical limitations, caution is required while interpreting the results. A larger sample and a more sophisticated research design were suggested for future studies examining the efficacy and therapeutic mechanism of the MFT.