Improving the outcomes of children affected by parental substance abuse: a review of randomized controlled trials

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of identified randomized studies

First author	N	Treatment groups	Study sample	Postintervention follow-up period	Measure	Main findings for child outcomes
Dawe and Harnett^Citation42	64	• PUP • Brief intervention • Standard treatment	Parents who were on methadone maintenance and had children between the ages of 2 and 8 years	6 months	Child behavior: strengths and difficulties questionnaire	• PUP family participants had significantly larger reductions in child behavior problems than the brief intervention and standard group participants.
Haggerty et al^Citation43	151	• FOF • Standard treatment	Families (representing 144 parents and 177 children) recruited from two methadone clinics	12–15 years	Substance use disorder: composite international diagnostic interview	• Overall, there were no significant differences in the risk of developing a substance use disorder during the follow-up period among the children in both treatment groups. • When looking at gender differences, there was a significant reduction in the risk of developing a substance use disorder among the FOF males when compared to the males in the standard treatment group.
Kelley and Fals-Stewart^Citation44	135	• BCT • PACT • IBT	Men entering outpatient treatment for alcoholism and other drug abuse, their female partners, and a custodial child between 6 and 16 years of age	6 and 12 months	Psychosocial adjustment: pediatric symptom checklist	• Children of BCT participants showed greater improvements in their psychosocial functioning through the 6- and 12-month postintervention follow-up period when compared to the children of PACT and IBT participants.
Lam et al^Citation45	30	• PSBCT • BCT • IBT	Men entering outpatient alcohol treatment, their female partners, and a custodial child between 8 and 12 years of age	6 and 12 months	Problem behavior: child behavior checklist depression: children’s depression inventory anxiety: the revised children’s manifest anxiety scale	• Children of PSBCT participants showed greater improvements in behavioral problems, depression, and anxiety through the 6- and 12-month postintervention follow-up period when compared to the children of BCT and IBT participants.

Abbreviations: BCT, Behavioral Couples Therapy; FOF, Focus on Families; IBT, individual-based treatment; PACT, psychoeducational attention control treatment; PSBCT, Parent Skills with Behavioral Couples Therapy; PUP, Parents under Pressure.

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KelleyMLFals-StewartWCouples- versus individual-based therapy for alcohol and drug abuse: effects on children’s psychosocial functioningJ Consult Clin Psychol200270241742711952200

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LamWKFals-StewartWKelleyMLEffects of Parent Skills Training with Behavioral Couples Therapy for alcoholism on children: a randomized clinical pilot trialAddict Behav20083381076108018485612

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