Multi-family therapy and drug addiction: A six-year retrospective study

Abstract

Introduction: the systematic inclusion of interventions focused on the family through unifamily and/or through multi-family group therapy (MFGT) has been growing as a way to face such a serious and complex problem as drug addiction. Objective: To investigate and evaluate factors associated with the joining of drug addicted patients to a multi-family treatment. Method: the research is a cross-sectional retrospective study, with a sample of 672 families taking part in MFGT for six years (from March, 1997 to July, 2003). A study about sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, time and predominant type of substance used was made, which also looked into the relation between which family members took part in the program and the number of patients joining the multi-family treatment. 672 inpatient files were researched. The reports of the meetings described by the coordinating therapist of the group were also researched. Results: a relation between family participation and patients joining the treatment was found. Discussion: the results suggest that the inclusion of a higher number of family members can promote greater treatment commitment in drug addicted patients.