Effects of Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) on Nonopioid Drug Abuse: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: This review evaluates the evidence of the effects of multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) on drug use reduction in young people for the treatment of nonopioid drug use. Method: We followed Campbell Collaboration guidelines to conduct a systematic review of randomized and nonrandomized trials. Meta-analytic methods were used to quantitatively synthesize study results. Results: The search yielded five studies that met inclusion criteria. MDFT was found to be more effective than other treatments on drug abuse problem severity and drug use frequency in the short run but not in the long run and demonstrated positive effects on treatment retention compared to control conditions. Discussion: While additional research is needed, the review offers support for MDFT as a treatment to young nonopioid drug abusers. The number of studies included in this review was limited, however, and this should be considered when interpreting the results.