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Juvenile delinquency is a pressing problem in the United States; the literature emphasizes the importance of early interventions and the role of the family in preventing juvenile delinquency. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, PudMed, and Scopus, we included 28 peer-reviewed articles in English between January 2012 and October 2022. We evaluated the existing literature regarding the risk factors, protective factors, and interventions related to juvenile delinquency. We searched articles that discussed reducing juvenile delinquency and recidivism in the U.S. and coded them into four overarching themes: 'family conflict and dysfunction', 'neglect and maltreatment', 'individual and family mitigating factors', and 'family- and community-based interventions. We found that family conflict and dysfunction and neglect and maltreatment were two primary predictors of juvenile delinquency. Notably, higher academic achievement and strong and positive parental relationships were factors that protected against delinquency amongst at-risk youth. Interventions that yielded optimal efficacy in curbing recidivism included family-based interventions, specifically family therapy, and community-based interventions. Considering multi-dimensional factors that affect delinquent behaviors, interventions should consider the influence of family, peers, neighborhood, schools, and the larger community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in discharge outcomes between latent classes of youth in psychiatric residential treatment. The mediating effect of family therapy, behavioral management incidents, and length of stay on class membership and treatment outcomes were examined. The sample included 447 youth assigned to one of four classes. Guided by Thornberry and Krohn's (2005) interactional theory of continuity and change, change in functional impairment was predicted based on the composition of risk versus protective factors that comprised the latent classes. A manual 3-step approach was used to fit a latent class mixture model and estimate conditional effects on impairment at discharge. A mediation model was used to examine indirect effects of treatment factors on outcomes between latent classes. The results showed that classes with lower-level risk factors and more protective factors experienced significantly greater reductions in impairment on average. Treatment outcomes were mediated by behavioral management incidents but not length of stay or the number family therapy sessions. The results demonstrate the usefulness of person-centered approaches for conducting subgroup analyses in residential care outcomes studies; highlighting differences in outcomes between groups and treatment factors that may mediate these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the United States, primary care practices rely on scarce resources to deliver evidence-based care for children with behavioral health disorders such as depression, anxiety, other mental illness, or substance use disorders. We estimated the proportion of practices that have difficulty accessing these resources and whether practices owned by a health system or participating in Medicaid accountable care organizations (ACOs) report less difficulty.Methods: This national cross-sectional study examined how difficult it is for practices to obtain pediatric (1) medication advice, (2) evidence-based psychotherapy, and (3) family-based therapy. We used the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems 2017-2018 (46.9% response rate), which sampled multiphysician primary and multispecialty care practices including 1,410 practices that care for children. We characterized practices' experience as "difficult" relative to "not at all difficult" using a 4-point ordinal scale. We used mixed-effects generalized linear models to estimate differences comparing system-owned vs independent practices and Medicaid ACO participants vs nonparticipants, adjusting for practice attributes.Results: More than 85% of practices found it difficult to obtain help with evidence-based elements of pediatric behavioral health care. Adjusting for practice attributes, the percent experiencing difficulty was similar between system-owned and independent practices but was less for Medicaid ACO participants for medication advice (81% vs 89%; P = .021) and evidence-based psychotherapy (81% vs 90%; P = .006); differences were not significant for family-based treatment (85% vs 91%; P = .107).Conclusions: Most multiphysician practices struggle to obtain advice and services for child behavioral health needs, which are increasing nationally. Future studies should investigate the source of observed associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study described how families were involved in the RAISE Connection Program for clients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and examined factors that predicted family involvement.Methods: Presence of family members at clinical visits for 65 clients with FEP was described. Multiple regressions were conducted to determine whether demographic characteristics, clinical factors, or client-provider discussions regarding family predicted family involvement during the first six months of the program.Results: Most participants (95%) had at least one family member attend a clinical visit during program involvement. Age of the client with FEP, psychiatric symptoms, and substance use predicted the number of days family members attended visits during the first six months of program participation; client-provider discussions about family did not.Conclusions: Family involvement in the ongoing care of clients with FEP is common when efforts are made to engage clients with FEP and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric obesity presents a significant burden. However, family-based behavioral group (FBBG) obesity interventions are largely uncovered by our health care system. The present study uses Return on Investment (ROI) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) analyses to analyze the business side of FBBG interventions.Methods: ROI and IRR were calculated to determine longitudinal cost-effectiveness of a FBBG intervention. Multiple simulations of cost savings are projected using three estimated trajectories of weight change and variations in assumptions.Results: The baseline model of child savings gives an average IRR of 0.2% ± 0.08% and an average ROI of 20.8% ± 0.4%, which represents a break-even IRR and a positive ROI. More pessimistic simulations result in negative IRR values.Conclusions: Under certain assumptions, FBBGs offer a break-even proposition. Results are limited by lack of data regarding several assumptions, and future research should evaluate changes in cost savings following changes in child and adult weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the feasibility of conducting empirically supported family-based paediatric obesity group treatment via TeleMedicine. Seventeen families were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (physician visit, TeleMedicine). Measures included feasibility, satisfaction and intervention outcome measures such as BMI percentile, and nutrition and activity behaviours. Measures were completed at baseline, post-treatment and at 1-year follow-up. Analyses indicate that both feasibility and satisfaction data regarding the TeleMedicine intervention were positive. Intervention outcome indicates no change in BMI percentile or nutrition and activity behaviours for either treatment group. A behavioural family-based weight loss intervention delivered via TeleMedicine was well received by both parents and providers. Due to the small sample size, null findings regarding intervention outcome should be interpreted with caution. Future research should focus on methods to increase the impact of this intervention on key outcome variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Latino population in the United States is growing at an exponential rate. As a medically underserved population, Latinos experience many health disparities, including those related to mental health. Current research suggests that Latinos in the United States are at high risk for problems such as anxiety, depression, somatization disorders, and substance abuse, yet, often these health needs go unmet. This article suggests that an effective method of reaching and treating more Latinos is through medical family therapy. Because Latinos may be more likely to seek help from a physician for mental health complaints, and because marriage and family therapists may be most culturally congruent in their orientation to therapy, collaboration between health care providers and medical family therapists is logical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance abuse in adolescents is undertreated in the United States. Family physicians are well positioned to recognize substance use in their patients and to take steps to address the issue before use escalates. Comorbid mental disorders among adolescents with substance abuse include depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. Office-, home-, and school-based drug testing is not routinely recommended. Screening tools for adolescent substance abuse include the CRAFFT questionnaire. Family therapy is crucial in the management of adolescent substance use disorders. Although family physicians may be able to treat adolescents with substance use disorders in the office setting, it is often necessary and prudent to refer patients to one or more appropriate consultants who specialize specifically in substance use disorders, psychology, or psychiatry. Treatment options include anticipatory guidance, brief therapeutic counseling, school-based drug-counseling programs, outpatient substance abuse clinics, day treatment programs, and inpatient and residential programs. Working within community and family contexts, family physicians can activate and oversee the system of professionals and treatment components necessary for optimal management of substance misuse in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the effectiveness of the multiple-family group approach for the treatment of schizophrenia among migrant groups, the English and Vietnamese-speaking families, in the U.S. This study found that the approach is an effective cognitive-behavioral intervention in the treatment of schizophrenia. In addition, the results suggest continued application of and research on family interventions for non-English speaking migrant populations.

Diabetes is a growing health concern in the United States. Because of the complexity of diabetes, researchers have found collaborative care for diabetic patients to be effective. The University of Nebraska Medical Center applied this approach in an interdisciplinary student-run clinic to provide treatment to low-income, noninsured, diabetic patients. Students who run this clinic are from a variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dietetics, and medical technology. Medical family therapy was added to the team after a need for more holistic treatment arose. Benefits of this model include a biopsychosocial perspective from which to view treatment, a foundation for future collaboration, an opportunity for cross training, and immediacy of on-site consultation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CHENAIL and LICHTMAN explore how the field of qualitative research has developed in the United States since the early 1990s. CHENAIL characterizes himself as a generic qualitative researcher rather than a designer qualitative researcher. We reminisce about how qualitative research has become an accepted form of conducting research in many disciplines, including family therapy, education, nursing, and business; we talk about how we were barely heard in those early days. CHENAIL discusses some of the new ideas in qualitative research such as ZALTMAN's metaphor elicitation technique, MISHLER's exemplars, and a combination industrial--amusement research park. As the Editor and driving force of The Qualitative Report, CHENAIL's contributions are substantial and far-reaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the integration of complementary and alternative medicine into collaborative family healthcare practices in the U.S. Benefits of alternative medicine; Details on medical systems used; Implications of the collaboration between a marriage and family therapist and a naturopathic physician.

Discusses various aspects of family therapy and psychiatry in North Carolina. Description of the model of collaboration implemented in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Prevalence of the psychoanalytic structures of psychiatry; Assessment on medical therapy program.

The article discusses growing concerns in family therapy in the U.S. The field of family therapy as it is presently known evolved from the idea of conjoint treatment, in which an entire family or relevant subunit of a family is seen regularly as a unit. Various attempts have been made to classify the array of different schools of family therapy. Changes in the social context, which includes the therapist, produce changes in individual members of the group affecting their inner psychic processes as well as their overt behaviors. The psycho-educational approach, developed in work with families of schizophrenics assumes that the psychiatrically disturbed patient has a core biological deficit that makes him or her vulnerable to stressful stimuli from the environment. The critique that follows primarily addresses the limitations of psychodynamic and structure/process models of family therapy. Behavioral methods have avoided some of the pitfalls to be discussed; the psycho-educational approach, so far, appears to have avoided them all.

Counseling is a pervasive activity in contemporary institutional life. This article focuses on the ways in which troubles—as socially constructed realities—are talked into being in two counseling settings: a British hemophilia center that counsels individuals who have become HIV-positive through the transfusion of infected blood products and a family therapy center in the United States. Drawing upon conversation analytic studies of "troubles talk," three major topical and interactional continuities in the two settings are revealed. They involve trouble definitions, trouble remedies, and accessing the social contexts of clients' troubles. Using ideas from Foucault, the article analyzes counseling as a professional technology for inciting troubles talk. As such, counseling functions as one of a variety of institutional discourses within which troubles talk may be elicited and organized, power moves, and people may be constructed as objects of power. The article thus serves as an initial attempt to synthesize strands of Foucauldian and conversation analytic work at an empirical, rather than purely theoretical, level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the American family using the Delphi technique. The Delphi technique is a procedure, which structures a communication process among a large group of experts. In order to accomplish "structured communication," the Delphi technique provides feedback of individual contributions of information and knowledge, assessment of the group judgment or view, opportunity for individuals to revise views, opportunity to react to and assess differing view points, and anonymity for individual responses. The Delphi technique utilized in the present study involved a two-pad questionnaire sent to each participant. Delphi Questionnaire asked panelists to respond to four questions from their perspective as family therapist. Those items that were endorsed by the panelist seemed to cluster around three distinct areas namely counteracting sexism, autonomy and interdependence, and a willingness to discuss taboo subjects. Along with poverty, lack of support for family life today was a major category of responses endorsed by panelists in the weakness section.

The article analyzes the American family using six theoretical developments in marriage and family therapy namely systems theory, constructivism, feminism, family resources, narrative metaphor and increased emphasis on qualitative research. A systemic view of families has been the bedrock of family therapy theory since its inception in the 1950s. If one family member changes his/her behavior, the entire family is affected. The U S family generally values independence more than families in other countries. According to feminist theory, a healthy family is one where flexible sex roles are valued and the woman has as much freedom as the man to pursue meaningful work. Family therapies have increasingly emphasized the importance of identifying and building on family strengths. Systems theory reminds that there are reciprocal links between society and the media. Negative and alarmist descriptions often beget more negative and alarmist descriptions as commentators increasingly view family life through these lenses. Feminism, like constructivism, has forced one self to look at one's values not only as individuals and family members, but as participants in larger systems, such as our political structures.

Thirty-one married couples (62 subjects) participated in this study of the effect of parenting courses on family relationships. Sixteen subjects (8 couples) participated in parenting courses (either Parent Effectiveness Training, P.E.T., or Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, STEP) with their spouses, while for the other 23 couples only one member participated. The courses are generally seen as beneficial, and there are no differences in perceived effectiveness between P.E.T. and S.T.E.P. Couples where both members participated perceive the course as no more effective than do those where only one member participated, and low marital adjustment subjects rate their relationships as improved over the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Puerto Rican cultural value of familism has been described as a traditional modality that emphasizes the obligation and duties of family members to one another (Rogler & Cooney, 1984). As a core value of Puerto Rican families on the United States mainland, familism has endured the changes in cultural values brought about by repeated migrations between the United States mainland and Puerto Rico, the influences of social and economic trends in the United States, and the pressures to acculturate to American society. Familiarity with this cultural value helps the family therapist accurately define the family's problems and needs, and promotes an interventive approach congruent with the Puerto Rican family's expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the residential marriage and family therapy training program at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas first began operation in 1972. There were some rather sharp exchanges of divergent viewpoints on several occasions among members of the Board of Directors of the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, but perhaps none were anymore heated than those focused on the pros and cons of establishing a marriage counseling training program. Following the board's approval, Menninger began submitting proposals for grants to various agencies which he thought might be interested in lending some financial support to this new undertaking. Evidence suggests that all staff appointees at Menninger were periodically subjected to an examination by a board of evaluators who then made critical suggestions for the continual strengthening and professional growth of the organization. The board of directors was still debating the value of the program nine years after its first funding.

Focuses on a nationwide public opinion poll released by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) concerning family therapy insurance. Percentage of the respondents who would go as far as to ask the family therapist to be resourceful and find a way to get the therapy sessions even without the insurance coverage; Percentage who would complain to their insurance company; Background information on AAMFT.

This section provides information on national regional and state conferences of the National Conference on Family Relations, as of November 1945. President Sidney E. Goldstein and the other members of the Executive Committee have decided to hold the 1946 Annual meeting of the Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel during the weekend of April 6 to 8. The exact days for conference sessions will be announced later. The central topic of the conference as tentatively chosen will be New Foundations for Marriage and the Family. The program committee planning for the conference will consist of the Executive Committee of the society and the chairmen of the standing committees of the Conference. Meanwhile, a meeting of the Southern California Conference on Family Relations was held on October 20, 1945 in Los Angeles, California on The Veteran and the Family. Addresses at the session on Available Veterans Services were given by Samuel Futterman. A session was devoted to the topic Reestablishing the Home Through Basic Democratic Institutions with talks on The Challenge to Education by Ray E. Baber, The Challenge to Religion by Gordon C. Chapman, The Challenge to Recreation by Melvin Chase and The Challenge to Employment by John MacGillvray.

This article announces the course in Conjoint Family Therapy for psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers, by the Mental Research Institute in the U.S. from July 15-26, 1968.