Contribution of Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy (CBFT) for Improving Relationships between Parents and Adolescents with Behavioral Problems

Abstract

Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy (CBFT), psycho education in focus, was employed to improve relationships between parents and adolescents with behavioral problems. The current intervention used an experimental design with pretests and a posttest. The family relationship scale was utilized for preliminary screening, and 16 of the 18 parents who participated in the preliminary assessment had reported poor family cohesion, communication, and conflict resolution abilities. Then, sixteen parents with low scores on the scale were randomly assigned to one of two groups, each with eight participants: (i.e., 8 treatments and 8 control group). Then, intervention was conducted on the treatment group using the Psycho-education component of CBFT. The intervention was conducted in five sessions to improve family cohesion, communication, and conflict resolution skills. ‘Family Relationship Scale’ was used to measure pre-and post-intervention experiences. ANCOVA was employed to test the effectiveness of the intervention by controlling the effects of the pretest. A repeated measure ANOVA with between groups’ effects was used to examine differences among cohesion, communication and conflict resolution skills in the two groups. Findings indicated that the quality of family relationship was significantly improved in the treatment group with a large effect-size. Because CBFT with a psycho educational approach in focus demonstrated effectiveness, the method is suggested to be promoted in Ethiopian setting. Since the current intervention was aimed at parents of adolescents with behavioral difficulties, future intervention should include adolescents with behavioral problems as well.