The Effectiveness of Behavioral Family Therapy on Substance Use Craving in Substance Abuse Quitting Adolescents

The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral family therapy on substance use craving in substance use quitting adolescents.

The present study was a single-case experimental study of the multiple baseline type. Using the purposeful sampling method, five adolescents and their families were selected in the city of Ahvaz. Behavioral family therapy was implemented in fourteen 90-minute sessions, and three phases of baseline, intervention, and follow-up were performed for adolescents and their families. Adolescents completed the craving beliefs questionnaire (CBQ), and the data were analyzed by visual drawing method, stable change index, and recovery percentage formula.

The results indicated that behavioral family therapy significantly reduced substance use craving (recovery percentage = 49.22).

Based on the results of the present study, behavioral family therapy can be effective in changing dysfunctional interactions of the family system and decreasing substance abuse in adolescents, and therapists can use this intervention to improve substance use disorder.