FRIDAY, Nov. 21, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- A new treatment approach for substance-abusing parents and their children is being developed by researchers at the University of Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).
This hybrid treatment method incorporates training for parents, couples therapy and substance abuse reduction. The project received a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Children who are raised by substance-abusing parents often develop serious emotional, behavioral and social problems. Despite this, many parents who enter treatment for substance abuse are reluctant to let their children take part in treatment or therapy.
This study will recruit 216 married or co-habiting couples with substance-abusing fathers and mothers who aren't substance abusers. The couples will have one or more children, aged 1 to 12 years. The men will be entering outpatient treatment at community agencies for help with their drug problem.
"We've just finished a study that showed when couples participate in behavioral couples therapy (BCT), their young children display higher psychological adjustment in the year after the parents' treatment than children whose parents received other forms of intervention," William Fals-Stewart, senior research scientist at RIA and a research associate professor in the university's psychology department, says in a prepared statement.
The positive effects of this counseling -- such as improved communications, reduced substance abuse and partner violence -- seem to result in improvements in the children's behavior or functioning.
"Our findings suggest that BCT has significant effects on the family that extend beyond the couple to their children, even though the children were not actively involved in treatment. In the previous study, parent skills training was not part of the treatment and parenting issues were not even discussed. We're very hopeful that by including this element, an even stronger statement can be made for a new treatment method," Fals-Stewart says.
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