Effectiveness of multifamily therapy for adolescent disruptive behavior in a public institution: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

IntroductionBehavioral problems in adolescents are one of the most common reasons for mental health care. Although some reviews support the effectiveness of group interventions, there is little work that demonstrates the efficacy and/or effectiveness of an integrative model similar to that of multifamily group therapy (MFT). ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of multifamily group therapy (MFT) with individual therapy as usual (TAU) in an outpatient medium. MethodA randomized clinical trial was conducted on a sample of 75 adolescents aged 12–15 years of age from incident cases at a Mental Health Center in southeastern Spain. The Youth Self Report was used to measure problematic, externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Scores were recorded in baseline, at 6 months and one year, and differences were analyzed using multivariate analysis (MANOVA). ResultsThe Group X Time analysis showed no significant differences between the two interventions at 6 months and one year of the intervention. However, the analysis of main factors appears to show greater TAU efficacy in Externalizing Behavior as a whole, as well as particularly in Verbal Aggression and Depression, whereas MFT shows greater efficacy in Internalizing Behavior. ConclusionsMultifamily individual and group therapy are effective in reducing adolescent behavioral problems, albeit with certain differential aspects. Therefore, the two interventions are complementary, so receiving both treatments would be an added benefit for the adolescent compared to receiving a single form of treatment, as other works suggest.