Adolescent Gender and Age Differences in Responsiveness to Functional Family Therapy

• Published in: Family process 2020-12, Vol.59 (4), p.1465-1482
• Main Authors: Scavenius, Christoffer, Granski, Megan, Lindberg, Malene Rudolf, Vardanian, Maria Michelle, Chacko, Anil
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescence; adolescencia/juventud; Adolescent girls; Adolescents; Age; Age differences; Behavior problems; Boys; Caregivers; Child development; Children & youth; Clinical outcomes; Disruptive Behavior Problems; Family counseling; Family relations; Family therapy; Functional Family Therapy; Gender; Gender differences; Girls; Health problems; Health status; justicia juvenil; Juvenile Justice; Liking; Mental Health; Moderation; Moderators; problemas de comportamiento disruptivo; Responsiveness; salud mental; Substance abuse; Teenagers; terapia familiar funcional (TFF); Youth; 功能家庭疗法（FFT）; 心理健康; 破坏性行为问题; 青少年司法; 青春期/青年期
• ISSN: 0014-7370; 1545-5300
• DOI: 10.1111/famp.12512

The current study contributes to a sparse literature on moderators of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) by examining whether responsiveness to FFT, measured by a broad range of outcomes, varies by adolescent gender, age, and their interaction. This study was informed by 687 families (n, adolescents = 581; n, caregivers = 933) and utilized a pre–post comparison design. Fixed‐effects regressions with gender, age, and their interaction included as explanatory variables were conducted to calculate the average change in youth mental health, callous–unemotional traits, academic outcomes, substance use, and family functioning. Moderation analyses revealed that according to parent report, girls had significantly greater improvements in peer problems and family functioning, and boys benefited more in increased liking of school. There were differential effects by age, such that older youth had less beneficial mental health outcomes and a smaller decrease in frequency of hash use. The gender by age interaction was significant for adolescents’ report of mental health and family functioning outcomes, which suggests that girls benefit from FFT less than boys during early adolescence, but benefit more than boys in late adolescence. This finding adds to literature which has evidenced that family functioning is particularly important for girls by suggesting that FFT is important for improving older girls’ mental health and family functioning in particular. The study’s results expand the examination of outcomes of FFT to include academic outcomes, and provide insight into key factors that should be considered in addressing adolescent behavioral problems and family functioning. El presente estudio contribuye a una bibliografía escasa sobre los moderadores de la terapia familiar funcional (TFF) analizando si la capacidad de respuesta a la TFF, medida por una amplia gama de parámetros, varía según el género, la edad y la interacción de los adolescentes. Este estudio se valió de 687 familias (n, adolescentes=581; n, cuidadores= 933) y utilizó un diseño de comparación previa y posterior. Se llevaron a cabo regresiones de efecto fijo con el género, la edad y su interacción incluidos como variables explicativas a fin de calcular el cambio promedio en la salud mental, los rasgos de insensibilidad emocional, los resultados académicos, el consumo de sustancias y el funcionamiento familiar de los jóvenes. Los análisis de moderación revelaron que de acuerdo con el informe de los padres,