Targeting Family Risk Factors in the Context of Treating Youth Depression: A Survey of Psychologists

Abstract

This study investigated the practices and perceptions of psychologists related to targeting family risk factors when treating youth depression. Participants were practicing psychologists recruited through the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology ( N = 279). Psychologists completed a brief anonymous survey about addressing parental psychopathology, interparental discord, and parent–child relationship problems when treating youth depression. Psychologists tended to use clinical interviews with parents and youth to assess family risk factors for a large percentage of their cases, whereas they tended to use questionnaires completed by parents and youth for a relatively small percentage of cases. When psychologists made treatment recommendations related to family risk factors, they perceived that a relatively small percentage of families adhered to the recommendations. Although they tended to report knowing when to make treatment recommendations that target family risk factors, they felt less confident in how to get families to follow the recommendations. Results highlight important directions for future research related to directly targeting family risk factors in the context of treating youth depression.