WASHINGTON — A novel program for parents of highly dependent adult children reduces parental burden and anxiety in their offspring, a new pilot study shows.
Known as failure to launch (FTL) syndrome, the criteria for this condition include the absence of a neurodevelopmental, mental, or intellectual condition, difficulty adapting to the challenges of adulthood, and living with or at the expense of parents.
Results suggest that the program benefits families dealing with FTL, study investigator Uri Berger, PhD, postdoctoral associate, Yale Child Study Center Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program, New Haven, Connecticut, told Medscape Medical News.
"If you encounter parents who are say 50-60 years old who have a child with FTL, you can tell them there's something they can do; there's work they can do even if their child is refusing to go to therapy," he said.
The findings were presented here at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) 2023 conference.
Anxious, Isolated
Estimates suggest that there are 3.3 million physically able adults with FTL and that the disorder may be on the rise. These individuals often present with mental health symptoms including anxiety, depression, and suicidality, and tend to be socially isolated.
The investigators note that intervening is often challenging because individuals with the syndrome are frequently noncompliant with therapy, and currently there is no standard of care.
"The longer you're isolated, the harder it is getting out of your cocoon, and when these adult children get to the point where they seek help, they're less likely to comply," he said. However, he noted, this is not because they are lazy, it's that they're "very, very anxious."
Parents and other family members are also negatively affected. Berger noted that 15% of parents of a child with FTL equate their caregiver burden with having a family member with a chronic physical illness. "It's huge; parents go through hell and it's very hard on them. Many believe it is their fault and they feel a lot of shame."
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a manualized, parent-based program for childhood anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It has been tested in clinical trials and found to be noninferior to cognitive behavioral therapy for childhood anxiety.
The research adapted it to treat FTL. SPACE-FTL focuses on reducing parents' family accommodation (FA), a descriptor for a child's excessive dependence on their parents to help them avoid anxiety-provoking situations.
The study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and treatment satisfaction and its effect on adult child psychopathology symptoms, parents' FA, and the paternal burden of caring for adult children.
The study included parents (mean age, 59.46 years; 85% female) of 40 adult children with FTL (mean age, 23.51 years; 20% female) from across the United States.
Parents were randomized to a 13-week waitlist or the SPACE-FTL program, which involves 13-20 therapy sessions, depending on the need. The average number of sessions in the study was 15. The program has five key components:
Providing information emphasizing FTL as not a character flaw but a problem with anxiety
Helping parents identify how they accommodate their child's behavior, and facilitating an environment that encourages independence
Getting parents to show acceptance and confidence in their child who's trying to overcome anxiety when, for example, they seek employment, instead of being overprotective and demanding
Focusing on change nonconfrontationally
Involving other family, community members, and professionals who can support the parent, child, or both
The recruitment, treatment sessions, and assessments were all done online.
Most participants rated the intervention as highly satisfactory on the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8; mean score, 27.7 out of a maximum of 32). About 60% of the offspring no longer met full criteria for FTL (P < .001; Cohen's D = 1.76).
All children of the waitlisted parents still met criteria for FTL.
FTL symptoms decreased significantly in the offspring of the intervention group, as seen in both in the Adult Entitled Dependence Scale (AED; P < .05; Cohen's D = 0.84); and the Adaptive Behaviors Scale (ABS; P < .05; Cohen's D = 0.70).
There was no change in anxiety as assessed by the Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL). But Berger noted that child anxiety is difficult to assess through parental report.
"This population is self-isolating and parents sometimes don't know what's going on," and ABCL measures may not be "as sensitive as we would have liked them to be," Berger said.
Parental burden was significantly decreased as measured by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI; P < .05; Cohen's D = 0.70). In addition, family accommodation decreased significantly as determined by the Family Accommodation Scale–Anxiety (FASA; P < .05; Cohen's D = 0.70).
Innovative Work
Commenting for Medscape Medical News, Jonathan E. Alpert MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, described the program as "innovative."
He noted that the SPACE-FTL approach provides parents with education and skills to reduce behaviors that reinforce their child's avoidance of independent activities. Such behaviors "may inadvertently contribute to the adult child remaining stuck," he said.
"Through its involvement of parents and use of a structured approach, SPACE-FTL is a very interesting step toward more evidence-based therapies."
However, he noted that the number of study participants is still "very low" and further work is needed to better characterize this condition and develop effective therapies.
He noted that parents of adult children with FTL should not be judged or blamed. "They have been living with a worrisome problem for years and are simply doing their best to cope as any of us would do."
In addition, he noted that some adult children aren't capable of launching due to a serious mental illness or substance use disorder that needs treatment.
It's unclear just how many adult children have FTL, as the condition lacks formal, agreed-upon clinical and research criteria and a reliable evidence base for treatment, Alpert said.
"Whatever the actual numbers of FTL, my anecdotal clinical experience suggests that it is a very common problem which is understudied."
He added that the definitions of FTL should include cultural context. In some groups, it's quite normal for adults in their 20s, 30s, or even older to live with their parents, Alpert said.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) 2023. Abstract #165. Presented April 14, 2023.
Berger and Albert report no relevant financial relationships.
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Medscape Medical News © 2023
Cite this: New Hope for Adult Children With 'Failure to Launch' Syndrome - Medscape - Apr 25, 2023.
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