? The current application is a resubmission of a proposal submitted and reviewed by NIDA-F (1 R01DA017218-01). The overall objective of this project is to address the problem of relapse among adolescents who have been in modified residential therapeutic community (TC) treatment programs. To this end, we propose to evaluate the effectiveness of an enhanced aftercare (EA) intervention compared with standard aftercare (SA) services. The enhanced aftercare condition includes an evidence-based family therapy, Functional Family Therapy (FFT) provided along with the standard services. For many high-risk youth it has been necessary to place them in residential settings such as TCs for treatment. Heretofore these programs have been seen as a stand-alone, well-established treatment modality. The findings suggest they may be a necessary but not sufficient condition for successful treatment for many of these youth. The proposed project conceptualizes TCs not as a """"""""stand alone"""""""" intervention, but as part of a more holistic, integrated treatment that models a continuity of care approach, which extends and enhances the therapeutic process beyond the residential context. Planned analyses address 4 specific aims to investigate the impact of the proposed Enhanced Aftercare treatment model as compared to Standard Aftercare.
Aim 1 compares the impact of the EA condition to SA on post-treatment outcome measures.
Aim 2 examines whether the level of goal attainment achieved during the TC residency period predicts post-treatment outcomes both across and within the aftercare conditions; analyses assess the premise that the gains achieved during TC residency are more likely to be preserved in EA.
Aim 3 examines the effects of client pre-intervention moderating factors (e.g., pretreatment risk and protective status) on TC goal attainment and post-treatment outcomes in each aftercare condition using structural equations models.
Aim 4 assesses the impact of participation in aftercare services (i.e., service dosage) during the aftercare period for the EA and SA conditions on 12-month post-aftercare treatment behavioral outcomes. This project reflects a core premise that a treatment model that integrates complementary strategies, i.e., modified residential TC treatment and an enhanced aftercare protocol providing Functional Family Therapy, will have an additive, if not synergistic effect on reducing or eliminating [drug use/abuse and other problem behaviors among adolescents after completing treatment. ? ?
| Sexton, Thomas; Turner, Charles W (2010) The effectiveness of functional family therapy for youth with behavioral problems in a community practice setting. J Fam Psychol 24:339-48 |
