Abstract
This study investigates whether or not, and to what extent, adolescent internalized-externalized, social-thinking-attention and other problems in Greece are correlated with family functionality. This study is also to identify whether or not and the extent to which parents are involved in parental counseling when adolescents receive psychotherapeutic intervention, to what extent this parallel intervention may be correlated with a positive outcome for the syndromes in adolescents and what are the differences in the prognosis of adolescent CBCL syndromes, when parents are actively involved in counseling. Participants: The first measurement of the study involved a total of 110 parents who received parental counselling and also assessed (1) their teens for the appearance of mental health syndromes who were receiving psychotherapy at the same period and (2) the level of family functionality. The second measurement involved 70 parents who assessed the same one year later. Tools: Parents that participated in this study filled out the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL or SAEBA) for ages 6-18 and a demographic data form. Results: The analysis of the first measurement showed that adolescents in families with general unhealthy functionality have a higher level of internalized, externalized, social -thinking -attention and other problems. Finally, the results indicate that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between behavior control and general functionality scale and internalized-externalized problems, social-thinking-attention, and other problems. The findings from the second measurement show that the more and consistently the parents of teenagers participated in the counseling process, the greater the improvement of family functionality and adolescents’ mental health syndromes as well. Often, the treatment needs to occur at the family system level in order for teen mental health improvement to take lasting and permanent effect.