Adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) use remains a major public health concern with implications for families and communities. Treatment of adolescent AOD use disorders require approaches that address broader social contexts. By shaping resilience, family cohesion plays a critical role in pathways to sustained recovery, which may influence the recovery process differently among males and females. This study investigated the relationship between family cohesion and AOD outcomes among adolescents (N = 55; 56.4% Male; Mage = 17.13, SD = 1.45 yrs; 69.1% White) from baseline to three-months post-inpatient treatment. Using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES-II), Assessment of Recovery Capital (ARC) family items, and the Timeline Follow-back to assess AOD use, analyses tested whether family cohesion predicted AOD use outcomes at three-months and whether sex moderated these relationships. Baseline family cohesion did not predict complete abstinence (p=.293). Greater cohesion was associated with reduced alcohol use, but not other drug use, at follow-up (β = −0.02, p = .008). Family cohesion at three-months emerged as a stronger correlate of three-month AOD use than baseline (R2adj = 0.16, F(7,47) = 2.47, p = .03). Family cohesion changes were not associated with reduced AOD use (β = −0.30, p = .08). Sex did not moderate these relationships (interaction effect: baseline p = .49; three-month p = .98). ARC family measures explained 36.3% of the variance in AOD outcomes (R2adj = 0.363, p = .044), outperforming FACES-II (R2adj = 0.160, p = .030). Findings support the similar role across males and females played by family cohesion as a protective factor in adolescent recovery and suggest a need for interventions that address aspects of family functioning to improve treatment outcomes.
Tibbs et al. (Sun,) studied this question.