Family Therapy Treatment Outcomes for Alcoholism

We conducted a meta‐analysis of 21 studies of family‐involved therapy for alcoholism, evaluating them for design adequacy, clinical significance, and effect size. The review is divided into studies of family involvement in three phases of treatement: (a) initiation of treatment, (b) primary treatment/rehabilitation, and and (c)aftercare. We conclude that family therapy is effective in motivating alcoholics to enter treatment. Once the drinker enters treatment, family‐involved treatment is marginally more effective that individual alcoholism treatment. The data suggest that three factors may mediate the effect of treatment: gender, investment in the relationship, and perceived support from the spouse for abstinence. Modest benefits have been obtained in family‐involved relapse prevention programs. The most recent studies are starting to address tese issues by developing treatment models specifically for women alcoholics and identifying factors that could be used to match appropriate treatments to alcoholics and their families. These efforts are just beginning, however, and we make a number of recommendations to support implementation of these and other efforts.