Elsevier

Comprehensive Psychiatry

Volume 29, Issue 2, March–April 1988, Pages 138-146
Comprehensive Psychiatry

Social learning and systems family therapy for childhood Oppositional Disorder: Comparative treatment outcome

https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-440X(88)90006-5Get rights and content

Abstract

Oppositional, noncompliant behavior is a frequent referral problem of children seen in child treatment facilities and is the defining characteristic of Oppositional Disorder. The present study evaluated the comparative efficacy of two treatment modalities. Nineteen families were randomly assigned to receive either social learning-based parent training (SLPT) or systems family therapy (SFT). Dependent variables included a reliable, valid coding system that measures noncompliant child behavior and other aspects of parent-child interactions, as well as several parent self-report inventories. Results showed that SLPT was more effective than SFT in reducing the primary symptoms of Oppositional Disorder. No differences were noted on measures of parent adjustment. Results are discussed in terms of the relatively greater efficacy of SLPT for treatment of the primary symptoms of Oppositional Disorder. The efficacy of SFT on other aspects of child and family function in Oppositional Disorder, and for other childhood disorders is not ruled out.

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    An interim report of this study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, Toronto, October 1984.

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