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This study evaluated the implementation of Functional Family Therapy (FFT), as compared to a non-completing dropout group in an Irish community setting. With recent attention by Irish legislators to respond to an increase in youth crime, evidence-based practices have been recommended for working with at-risk youth that target parenting and promote prosocial behaviors. FFT was implemented in response to this recommendation for its proven efficacy with a variety of adolescent problems, including drug abuse, violence, and other delinquency problems. A sample of 60 cases that received FFT at the Families First Centre in an eastern suburb of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland over a three year period was compared to a sample of 20 cases that dropped out of FFT treatment before completion in order to evaluate outcomes of adolescent functioning and family functioning. Results indicate a significant difference between the FFT group and dropout group on the measure of overall adolescent functioning. Additionally, there was a significant difference between the FFT group and dropout group on measures of family functioning and specific aspects of adolescent functioning, notably adolescent conduct problems, which is most relevant to the main aims of FFT. Additionally, therapist adherence to the FFT model as a moderating variable, using the Therapist Adherence Measure (TAM), was found to be a significant predictor of change in adolescent functioning from beginning to end of therapy from the parent perspective. Finally, in examination of additional variables as treatment adherence, the variables of therapist dropout rate, adolescents' perception of the counseling process during the first and third phase of therapy, and parents' perception of the counseling process during the third phase of FFT treatment were all found to be significant predictors of family functioning from the parent perspective, change in adolescent functioning from the adolescent perspective, and perceived change in counseling, respectively. Thus, viewing treatment adherence with additional variables other than the TAM can help better moderate client outcomes and can help shed light on necessary factors to consider when transporting an evidence-based practice to international settings. |
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