Citation

Ruff S, McComb JL, Coker CJ, Sprenkle DH. Fam. Process 2010; 49(4): 439-456.

Affiliation

Child Development & Family Studies, Purdue University, Fowler Memorial House, 1200 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. sruff@purdue.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Family Process Institute, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1545-5300.2010.01333.x

PMID

21083548

Abstract

Behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is an evidence-based couple therapy intervention for married or cohabitating substance abusers and their partners. This paper provides readers with a substantive and methodological review of Fals-Stewart, O'Farrell, and colleagues' program of research on BCT. The 23 studies included in this review provide support for the efficacy of BCT for improving substance use behavior, dyadic adjustment, child psychosocial outcomes, and reducing partner violence. This review includes a description of BCT, summaries of primary and secondary outcomes, highlights methodological strengths and weaknesses, notes barriers to dissemination, suggests future research directions, and provides clinical implications for couple and family therapists. Although there are several versions of BCT developed for the treatment of substance abuse this paper focuses on the version developed by O'Farrell, Fals-Stewart, and colleagues.

Language: en