Randomized, controlled trial of behavior therapy for families of adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

<bold>Objective: </bold>To describe the short-term results of a controlled trial of Behavioral Family Systems Therapy (BFST) for families of adolescents with diabetes.<bold>Methods: </bold>We randomized 119 families of adolescents with diabetes to 3 months' treatment with either BFST, an education and support Group (ES), or current therapy (CT). Family relationships, psychological adjustment to diabetes, treatment adherence and diabetic control were assessed at baseline, after 3 months of treatment (reported here), and 6 and 12 months later.<bold>Results: </bold>Compared with CT and ES, BFST yielded more improvement in parent-adolescent relations and reduced diabetes-specific conflict. Effects on psychological adjustment to diabetes and diabetic control were less robust and depended on the adolescent's age and gender. There were no effects on treatment adherence.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>BFST yielded some improvement in parent-adolescent relationships; its effects on diabetes outcomes depended on the adolescent's age and gender. Factors mediating the effectiveness of BFST must be clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]