THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FAMILY INTERVENTIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF PHYSICAL ILLNESS

Although a large body of research demonstrates that the family has a p owerful influence on physical health, the evidence for the effectivene ss of family interventions in physical illness is less conclusive. Fam ily therapy and other family interventions appear to be most effective in chronic childhood illnesses such as asthma and diabetes. Family in terventions have also been shown to be effective in the management of some cardiovascular and neurologic disorders and for the treatment of obesity. Family therapy appears to be more effective than individual t herapy for some groups of patients with anorexia nervosa. This researc h supports the increasingly important role of medical family therapy i n the new health care system. Recommendations for future research are discussed.