Behavioral couples therapy for substance abusers: where do we go from here?

Behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is an evidence-based family treatment for substance abuse. The results of numerous investigations over the past 30 years indicate that participation in this treatment by married or cohabiting substance-abusing patients, compared with more traditional individual-based interventions, results in greater reductions in substance use, higher levels of relationship satisfaction, greater reductions in partner violence, and more favorable cost outcomes. This review examines the rationale for using BCT, the empirical literature supporting its use, methods used as part of this intervention, and future research directions.

Coping behavior and depressive symptoms in adult children of alcoholics.

This paper examined whether adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) would report more depressive mood symptoms as compared to non-ACOAs, whether coping behaviors differed as a function of ACOA status, and whether specific coping behaviors were related to depressive mood symptoms in ACOAs. Participants were 136 college students categorized as ACOAs and 436 college students categorized as non-ACOAs as determined by scores on the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST; J.W.

The Case for Examining and Treating the Combined Effects of Parental Drug Use and Interparental Violence on Children in their Homes.

This review examines what have been, to this point, generally two divergent lines of research: (a) effects of parental drug abuse on children, and (b) effects of children's exposure to interparental violence. A small, but growing body of literature has documented the robust relationship between drug use and intimate partner violence. Despite awareness of the interrelationship, little attention has been paid to the combined effect of these deleterious parent behaviors on children in these homes.

Subtypes of alcohol and intimate partner violence: a latent class analysis.

The investigation explored whether subtypes of relapse to violence exist for different levels of intimate partner violence and drinking behavior among men who relapse to both alcohol and violence after alcoholism treatment. Male clients entering an alcoholism treatment program who reported at least one incident of intimate partner violence and their female partners (N = 294) were recruited for participation. Data were analyzed using a latent class analysis of mixture model.