The longitudinal nature of our data and use of multimethod, multi-reporter variables add strength to these results.
Also notable is that our results were obtained within an intention-to-treat design, which was used to examine the entire treatment group regardless of whether they actually received the FCU or any additional interventions.
Thus, the fact that we found effects, when less than half of the treatment group actually was treated, is a testament to the strength of the FCU.
Some readers may find it surprising that we found an indirect effect of the FCU on HRSB in early adulthood given that the intervention occurred so many years earlier.
Because of the elapsed time between intervention and outcome, it is reasonable to question the source of these effects.
Data from our study suggest that participation in the FCU may have fostered improvements in family relationship quality in mid-adolescence that were carried forward across development, enabling parents to maintain a positive connection with their adult child. The early adulthood period is characterized by change and instability, yet the parent–child relationship represents a kind of permanency not present in social bonds with peers (Grusec and Davidov 2007).