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Families changing families: the protective function of multi-family therapy for children in education

Emma Morris1, Corin Le Huray2, Elin Skagerberg3

  • 1Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK Emma.Morris@annafreud.org.

Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
|July 11, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Early intervention using a multi-family group approach significantly improved children's conduct problems and maintained family functioning. This approach offers a cost-effective solution for at-risk families.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychology
  • Family Therapy
  • Intervention Science

Background:

  • Children with conduct problems and poor school functioning face significant long-term costs to families and society.
  • Early intervention is crucial for mitigating negative outcomes in at-risk youth.
  • The Marlborough Family Education Centre (MFEC) developed a unique multi-family group approach.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of the MFEC's multi-family group approach.
  • To compare outcomes for families receiving the MFEC intervention versus a control group.
  • To assess changes in child and family social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 50 families in the MFEC intervention group and 28 control families.
  • Data collection at referral, 6 months, and 12 months post-intervention.
  • Assessment of child and family social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.

Main Results:

  • Statistically and clinically significant improvements in children's behavior reported by parents in the MFEC group, maintained at 12 months.
  • No significant changes observed in the control group.
  • Family functioning remained stable in the MFEC group, while the control group showed significant deterioration.

Conclusions:

  • The MFEC multi-family group approach demonstrates efficacy in improving child conduct problems and family functioning.
  • Findings support the value of early intervention for at-risk families.
  • Further research is needed to address methodological limitations and explore broader applications.

Keywords:
Behaviour problemschildrenmulti-family therapyparentingschool

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