A new study aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use in vulnerable young people, will see Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) adapted, delivered and evaluated for the first time in the UK.
MDFT is an intensive family-based intervention designed to reduce young people’s substance use, improve mental health and reduce antisocial and aggressive behaviour.
Professor Simon Coulton at Kent’s Centre for Health Services Studies will lead the study, alongside Teesside University and delivery partners Barnardo’s, MDFT International and the Ending Youth Violence Lab. This is the latest in a series of complex trials led by Professor Coulton, a leading international expert in the field of substance use and mental health. Professor Coulton also currently leads the young people theme for the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)-funded Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Research.
Developed over 30 years ago in the USA, MDFT focuses on the many factors that influence young people’s behaviour. MDFT has been shown to be effective in reducing substance use, delinquency and offending and improving mental health and behaviour, particularly in adolescents with severe problems – although it has never been previously tested in the UK.
MDFT therapists work with the young person, their parent/carer, family and wider community to help them engage in treatment, regulate emotions, improve relationships and encourage alternative behaviours to substance use. Family sessions look to reduce conflict and increase parental involvement.
Barnardo’s in Newport and Bristol will deliver the intervention, recruiting 400 vulnerable 13-17 year olds who use drugs and alcohol. Young people will be randomly allocated to one of two groups, 200 will receive MDFT from Barnardo’s therapists, specially trained by MDFT International. The other group will receive treatment as usual provided by local substance use services. The study is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF).
Professor Coulton said: ‘If effective, this study will provide a new treatment approach for a vulnerable population of marginalised young people that could be implemented across treatment services in the UK.’