OBJECTIVES: An outpatient program of medication-free family therapy for polysubstance drug-dependent adolescents and young adults is evaluated on the basis of multiple criteria. The family therapy provided is brief systemic early intervention. METHODS: The evaluation was based on intent-to-treat data: prospective, naturalistic, pre-post. Eighty-six families (86 patients in the early stage of drug dependency, 76 mothers, 57 fathers, 36 siblings) enrolled. Individual multi-criteria rates of respondence are determined by means of five goal criteria (addiction status, family function, symptom severity, psychosocial integration, and therapy satisfaction) documented via patient self-reports and expert ratings. Individual outcome values are reported for drug-dependent patients and participating mothers. RESULTS: Therapy was completed by 72% of the families participating. Of the index patients who completed therapy, 73% showed a significant intra-individual improvement in their addiction status. Both drug-dependent patients and their mothers improved with regard to other goal criteria. CONCLUSIONS: In a program of early-intervention outpatient therapy, adolescents and young adults diagnosed in an early stage of polysubstance drug-dependency and still in contact with their families of origin, will improve.
