Abstract
The efficacy of behavioral and strategic approaches to child-focused family therapy for child behavior and depressive symptomatology was investigated. Participants were 49 clinic-referred families who were randomly assigned to either behavioral or strategic family therapy for 8 to 12 weeks and assessed at pre- and post-test. Results showed that both forms of therapy were equally effective in reducing parent-reported behavior problems and depression in children. In addition, the relationship between child and maternal depression was explored. Significant relationships were found between pre-test levels of depression in children as reported by mothers and mothers' self-reported depression, psychological stress and level of interpersonal discomfort. The results support a relationship between child and maternal depression. The findings also suggest that child-focused family therapy can be effective for both behavioral and depressive symptoms.
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Steinberg, E.B., Sayger, T.V. & Szykula, S.A. The Effects of Strategic and Behavioral Family Therapies on Child Behavior and Depression. Contemporary Family Therapy 19, 537–551 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026135105729
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026135105729