Family-based treatment for intergenerational diseases

This article provides a brief overview of family-based treatment for intergenerational diseases. There is no organized protocol within current treatment approaches to address intergenerational diseases within a family. The optimal approach depends on the trajectory of the disease. For problems or diseases that may be present in both parent and offspring during childhood (e.g., obesity and substance use), treatment should target both generations simultaneously. When a disease emerges more slowly and is present only in the parent, as may occur with cancer, the optimal approach may combine treating the parent with prevention in the child. For diseases that develop in later adulthood, such as cognitive impairment, the goal may be to prevent or delay disease in both the parent and child by addressing modifiable health behaviors and risks. The type of treatment may vary by disease, but lifestyle and behavior change are central to preventing or treating many chronic intergenerational diseases. If the problem is due to unhealthy behavior, or the disease can be prevented by changing behavior, treatment should focus on education and behavior change. It is important to recognize that although education is an important first step for health behavior change, education is not always sufficient to improve health and evidence-based behavioral interventions may be needed to modify behavior and improve health. Although lifestyle should be considered as a first step to prevent many chronic diseases, some intergenerational diseases may require pharmacological or surgical interventions. Extensive research on family-based treatment for intergenerational obesity has shown both short- and long-term treatment effects for children and their parents, as well as spillover effects to untreated siblings. Given the rising prevalence of intergenerational chronic disease in the United States, care must shift from an individual-level model of care to coordinated family-based treatment for intergenerational disease within families. Psychologists can help lead this shift through their expertise in behavior change, family systems, intervention development, implementation, and policy. Without this change, the long-term impact on intergenerational disease will remain limited. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).