Family functioning as a protective factor in treating adolescents with complex medico-psychosocial presentations

Studies of adolescents with somatic symptoms with no identified organic cause make a clear connection between the health and wellbeing of the adolescent and the functioning of the family. There has been little systematic examination of the role of family functioning in treatment. We aim to determine whether there was an association between family functioning and treatment outcome in this 12 month prospective study.

Fifty adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years (M=14.4, SD=1.32) and their parents were recruited. All adolescents presented with one or more physical symptoms as their primary complaint. Adolescent functioning and family relationships were measured at recruitment, 4 months into treatment and 12 months later. Generalised estimating equations (GEE) analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between the variables of interest.

Results suggested significant improvements in adolescent outcomes between baseline and 4 months (all p<0.01), which were sustained to 12 months (all p<0.01). Adolescents from healthier families at initial presentation had significantly improved psychosocial functioning over the course of the study (all p<0.001).

Our findings highlight the importance of taking a family approach to the treatment of adolescents with medically unexplained symptoms.