Commentary: Revising Behavioral Family Systems Therapy to Enhance Treatment Adherence and Metabolic Control in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

The quality of family relationships, which can influence critical outcomes such as adherence to medical treat-ment and medical management for pediatric chronic illness, is an important target of psychological interven-tions (Drotar, 2005; Fiese, 2005). In a series of studies, Wysocki and colleagues found that Behavioral Family Systems Therapy (BFST; Robin & Foster, 1989) can enhance family communication for adolescents with type 1 diabetes (Wysocki et al., 1997, 1999, 2000; Wysocki, Greco, Harris, Bubb, & White, 2001). On the other hand, BFST did not enhance treatment adherence or glycemic control, which is a critical health outcome that affects the rate of onset of diabetes-related compli-cations (DCCT Research Group, 1994). The previous failure of BFST to demonstrate a significant impact o