Change processes in family therapy with Hispanic adolescents

Changes in within-session family interaction patterns were examined over the course of Brief Strategic Family Therapy with Hispanic adolescents referred for treatment of behavior problems. Family structure and conflict resolution style were examined at four points in therapy. Participants were 4 Hispanic adolescents and their families that received a full dose of family therapy. Families were selected from a large sample of families that participated in a randomized study. Two cases that showed significant improvement and two cases that showed deterioration on measures of conduct disorder completed at pre- and post-treatment were randomly selected from the larger pool of cases. In-session results demonstrated a linear trend of improvement in family interaction in successful outcome cases, although in unsuccessful outcomes family interactions did not improve or worsened throughout therapy. Findings support the importance of examining in-session therapy processes to shed light on how family therapy is efficacious with behavior problem Hispanic youth.