NCJ Number
213659
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 45 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 386-395
Date Published
April 2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This exploratory study assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of adjunctive family psychoeducation (FPE) in treating adolescent major depressive disorder.
Abstract
Overall, participants in the FPE treatment group showed greater improvements in both social functioning and parent-adolescent relationships than control subjects while parents in the FPE treatment group reported greater satisfaction with treatment. Thus, it appears that FPE may work to improve adolescent social functioning, especially in the domain of parent-adolescent relationships. The findings suggest further study on the effectiveness of FPE is warranted, particularly given the fact that these findings conflict with previously reported findings on the efficacy of FPE with adolescents referred for overdose. Evaluation methodology randomized participants to usual treatment or usual treatment plus FPE. Participants were recruited from outpatient clinics in Hamilton (31 participants) and London (10 participants), Ontario. Due to retention problems, data from Hamilton could not be examined and included in the study. Participants in London completed a series of outcomes measures at 2 weeks into treatment, mid-treatment, posttreatment, and 3-months following treatment completion. Chi-square and t-test calculations were used to compare remission rates across treatment and control groups. Continued investigation of FPE efficacy with clinical populations is suggested. Tables, references