Studies at Research Institute on Addictions to Address Alcohol and Drug Problems for Couples and Families

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Researchers affiliated with the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions have been awarded two grants focusing on couples therapy and family treatment for alcoholism and drug abuse, which are among the most effective, but rarely used substance-abuse treatment programs because they are labor-intensive and costly to deliver.

The first study, funded by a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, will involve a therapist working with several couples in a group format, thereby reducing the cost of the treatment and perhaps making the intervention more attractive to substance-abuse treatment programs.

"We know that couples therapy is very effective in reducing drinking and drug use among married or cohabiting alcoholics and drug users," explained William Fals-Stewart, Ph.D., senior research scientist at RIA and research associate professor in the Department of Psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences.

"Recent studies have found that couples therapy is one of the five most effective treatments for alcoholism and substance abuse," he added. "However, a national survey of substance-abuse treatment programs indicates that less than five percent of programs in the U.S. offer this type of treatment to their married or cohabiting clients."

Fals-Stewart's co-investigator on the study is Kathleen A. Parks, Ph.D., also a senior research scientist at RIA.

The project will be a collaborative effort, drawing participants from Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services (ADDS), a private, non-profit treatment center.

"We have worked very successfully with Bill Fals-Stewart on other Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) research projects," said Ellen Roche, director of outpatient services at ADDS. "It's a relationship that we call 'research to practice' -- research dollars are brought into the Buffalo community and translated into very positive treatment modalities that make a difference."

Roche added, "Our clients love BCT and the clinic wouldn't have the opportunity to provide the service without this reciprocal relationship between researchers and treatment providers. To my knowledge," she said, "it is a new and innovative technique that puts us way ahead of the curve in terms of the collaboration and the benefits to couples and families."

The second study will be conducted at RIA by Francis D. Fincham, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor and director of clinical training in the UB Department of Psychology, and co-investigator Fals-Stewart. It will be funded by a $460,000 grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Fincham said the project will build on previous research by Fals-Stewart that found that fathers' recovery from substance abuse following couples' treatment also improved children's behavior and functioning. Those research results were published in the April 2002 issue of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

"The new project will build on the findings obtained for couples therapy by adding a parent-training component," Fincham explained. "We now know that showing couples better ways to interact, communicate and affirm the drinker's abstinence from drinking positively impacts the children in the home. Next, we are attempting to improve parenting skills in a proactive manner that hopefully will demonstrate an even greater positive impact on the children."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that more than six million children in this country are being raised by substance-abusing parents.

Fincham said an intervention such as couples therapy with a parenting component is likely to have a positive impact on children and families, a ripple effect for schools and consequences for the community-at-large.

UB's Research Institute on Addictions has been a national leader in the study of alcohol and substance abuse for more than 30 years.