Chunk #48 — FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH — Expanding Couple and Family Treatment for AUD — Involvement of partners and family members in AUD therapies in the context of co-occurring mental health conditions
Identifying pathways to successfully treat AUD and co-occurring conditions among individual participants remains an area of intense scientific inquiry. However, far less attention has been dedicated to understanding how partners and family members might contribute to adjunct or conjoint therapies. One preliminary pilot study found promising feasibility and acceptability outcomes when examining a novel integrated approach that combines BCT with Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy99 for PTSD (N = 13 couples).37 Research also suggests that ABCT is more efficacious than individual CBT for women with AUD and co-occurring clinical and personality disorders.47 A great deal more research is needed to identify dyadic pathways to treating AUD and commonly co-occurring conditions such as PTSD and depression.
