Atttachment-Based Family Therapy, Changes in Parental Validation and Adolescent Symptoms in a Diverse Sample of Suicidal Teens and Parents

Adolescent suicide is a significant public health problem in the United States. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents aged 10-14 and the second among persons aged 15-34 (CDC, 2015). High family conflict and stress and low family cohesion have been linked with teen suicide risk, while emotionally supportive family processes such as parental warmth, talking openly about emotions and parental validation are associated with reduced risk. This study will examine therapeutic change processes in a sample of ethnically diverse teens with high levels of suicide ideation and their parents who received sixteen weeks of treatment with Attachment Based Family Therapy. We will examine: (1) whether participating parents show a significant increase in supportive parenting over the course of therapy through analyses of observational codes of parent-teen interactions during family sessions and; (2) whether increases in supportive parenting are associated with symptoms improvement in teens.Ph.D., Couple and Family Therapy -- Drexel University, 201