7.6 The Impact of Parents and Family in the Prevention and Treatment of Adolescent Substance Use Disorders: Developmental and Transgenerational Perspectives

Despite a strong evidence base, family-based interventions for adolescent substance use disorders (SUDs) can be underappreciated in clinical practice and underemphasized in training. Treatment focused solely on individual interventions for an adolescent struggling with substance use represents a missed opportunity for more impactful and lasting improvement in symptoms of SUD. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the perpetuation of SUDs in a multigenerational pattern. Developmentally informed, family-based intervention at any stage in an individual and family ’s life cycle can represent not only treatment for that individual but also prevention for those with whom they share genes and environment.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research