Abstract
Therapist treatment adherence has received a great deal of attention in recent years, in part because of its relation to treatment outcomes. Although certain therapist behaviors have been found to be associated with treatment outcomes, little is known about client factors impacting on therapists’ ability to adhere to treatment protocols. In this study, we evaluated effects of parental beliefs, psychopathology, and interaction styles on therapists’ adherence to Multi-systemic Therapy (MST) principles. Eighty-two parents participating in a clinical trial of MST completed baseline measures assessing psychopathology, family functioning, and treatment expectations. Analyses indicated that parental perceptions of therapist adherence were established within the first 4 weeks of treatment, and that parental psychopathology, motivation, expectations, and child rearing practices were related to parental ratings of therapist adherence. Results were essentially unchanged when controlling for parental positive response style. Clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.
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This research was supported by NIDA diversity supplement grant 3R24DA021527-01A2S1 awarded to Ronald Braithwaite, by NIMH training grant T32-MH070329 awarded to the second author, as well as by NIMH (R01MH058275) awarded to the second author.
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Ellis, M.L., Weiss, B., Han, S. et al. The Influence of Parental Factors on Therapist Adherence in Multi-systemic Therapy. J Abnorm Child Psychol 38, 857–868 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9407-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9407-0