Family-based psychoeducation interventions attempt to educate families about their family member’s mental illness, available treatment options (medications, talk-therapy, etc.), prognosis for recovery and best ways to manage the condition. The article presented here speaks about a research study that was conducted to determine the effectiveness of multi-family psychoeducation group treatment with families that are providing support and care for children aged 8 to 11 years old who have been diagnosed with a mood disorder. The research study attempted to conclude that families who received this type of treatment modality for their children had immediate outcomes of a) increased parental knowledge about the disorder and treatment; b) increased positive family interactions; c) increased acceptance and support felt by children from their families; and d) increased participation in the services that were offered to their children (Fristad, et.al, 2003). The study lacks some critical components to make it a really effective approach to treat mood disorders in children.

Sample Size

The sample size employed by the study only used 35 families to test their hypotheses. The population started out with 42 families and narrowed it down to 35 based on some circumstances with the families and diagnosed conditions of the children (Fristad, et.al, 2003).  This sample size was very small considering the number of children diagnosed with a mood disorder or bipolar disorder in 2004 Brown reported that in 1996 2,000 to 3,000 children would have a mood disorder out of a population of 100,000 (Brown, 1996).

The length of treatment

The treatment in the study was only conducted for 6 months utilizing multi-family psychoeducation and traditional treatment methods (Fristad, et.al, 2003). This type of brief therapy may not provide the components for an acceptable method of recovery from mood disorders in a child. A treatment plan that consists of at least 6 months to year of recurrent treatment is a good treatment to prevent relapse according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (1998). In addition to the length of treatment, the representatives of the study utilized those families who had four or more sessions with the multi-family phsychoeducation interventions as part of the study (Fristad, et.al, 2003). This represented even less than 6 months of treatment effectiveness.

Cultural Considerations

The biggest problem with the study and treatment modality is the lack of concern for determining and emphasizing the cultural considerations. The study consisted primarily of Caucasian families at 31 and the remaining minorities (Fristad, et.al, 2003). Children tend to speak about their feelings and health differently based on the cultural the child represents (Yaylayan, 2002). Parents take interest in their children and children’s health differently based on their cultural beliefs and system. This study did not take into consideration the interventions and treatment tools necessary to conduct effective treatments for children in less prevalent cultures. This study completely failed on this element.

Conclusion

The study by Fristad, et.al, attempted to report that multi-family psychoeducation group counseling is an effective tool for treating children with mood disorders. The study wanted to demonstrate that when families as a whole take interest in their child’s mental illness, better outcomes are shown. The study did provide some insight into the need to educate parents and families about their loved one’s mental illness but as far as proving the effectiveness of this type of treatment intervention, it failed on several counts.