Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-ph5wq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T00:58:46.828Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Evaluation of a Group Programme for Parents of Problem Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

M. J. Scott
Affiliation:
Liverpool Personal Service Society and University of Salford
S. G. Stradling
Affiliation:
University of Salford

Abstract

A behaviourally based Programme was developed to assist parents with problem children. The Programme was intended for the typical social service clientele of single parent, low income or state benefit families and may be administered by social workers or assistants conversant with the Programme Manual. The Programme consists of six 90 min sessions run at weekly intervals during which a variety of behavioural techniques are taught, largely through role play, with a seventh follow up session a month later.

The Programme was evaluated by a range of before and after measures on both a treatment group and a waiting list control group and maintenance of treatment gains was tested at three and, for some measures, six months interval. The Programme significantly reduced: the perceived number and intensity of child behaviour problems; parental depression, inward irritability and outward irrirability; and the level of perceived chlid conduct problems, impulsivity and anxiety. It significantly improved parents' chlid management skills. Improvement in parental depression and irritability was maintained at three months and reduction in chlid beviour problems was tested for and found at both three and six months.

Type
Clinical/Brief Reports
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blackburn, I. M., Bishop, S., Glen, A. I. M., Whalley, L. J. and Christie, J. G. (1981). The efficacy of cognitive therapy in depression—a treatment trial using cognitive therapy and pharmacotherapy, each alone and in combination. British Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 181189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berkowitz, B. P. and Graziano, A. M. (1972). Training parents as behaviour therapists: A review. Behaviour Research and Therapy 10, 297317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, G. W. and Harris, T. (1978). The Social Origins of Depression. London: Tavistock.Google ScholarPubMed
Cobb, D. E. and Medway, F. J. (1978). Determinants of effectiveness in parent consultation. Journal of Community Psychology 6, 229240.3.0.CO;2-I>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Connors, C. K. (1978). Normative data on revised Connors parent and teacher rating scales. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 6, 221236.Google Scholar
Dumas, J. E. and Wahler, R. G. (1983). Predictors of treatment outcome in parent training: Mother insularity and socioeconomic disadvantage. Behavioral Assessment 5, 301313.Google Scholar
Eyberg, S. M. and Ross, A. W. (1978). Assessment of child behaviour problems: the validation of a new inventory. Journal of Clinical Psychology 7, 113116.Google Scholar
Forehand, R. (1980). An examination of the social validity of a parent training program. Behavior Therapy 11, 488502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forehand, R. and King, H. E. (1977). Noncompliant children: effects of parent training on behaviour and attitude change. Behaviour Modification 1, 93108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forehand, R. and McMahon, R. J. (1981). Helping the Noncompliant Child: A Clinician's Guide to Parent Training. New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Forehand, R., Rogers, T., Steffe, M., and Middlebrook, J., (1984). Helping parents help their noncompliant child. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy 1, 610.Google Scholar
Fullerton, M. (1985). All he did was laugh. New Society 20/27 December, 529.Google Scholar
Griest, D. L. (1980). An examination of differences between non-clinic and behaviour-problem clinic referred children and their mothers. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 89, 497500.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Griest, D. L., Wells, K. C. and Forehand, R. (1979). Examination of predictors of maternal perceptions of maladjustment in clinic-referred children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 88, 277281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horne, A. M. and Patterson, G. R. (1979). Working with parents of aggressive children. In Parent Education Handbook, Abidin, R. R. (Ed.), Springfield, Illinois: Charles E. Thomas.Google Scholar
Johnson, S. M., Wahl, G., Martin, S. and Johansson, S. M. (1973). How deviant is the normal child? A behavioural analysis of the preschool child and his family. In Advances in Behavior Therapy. Brady, J. A. and Henderson, J. D., New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Lobitz, G. K. and Johnson, S. M. (1975). Normal versus deviant children. A multi-method comparison. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 3, 353374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLean, P. D. (1976). Parental depression: incompatible with effective parenting. In Modification Approaches to Parenting, Marsh, E. J. (Ed.). New York: Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
McMahon, R. J. (1981). Who drops out of treatment during parent behavioural training? Behavioural Counselling Quarterly 1, 7985.Google Scholar
Moreland, S. R., Schwebel, A. L., Beck, S. and Wells, K. C. (1982). Parents as therapists: A review of the behaviour therapy parent training literature 1975 to 1981. Behaviour Modification 6, 250276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ollendick, T. and Cerney, J. (1981). Clinical Behavior Therapy with Children. New York: Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R. and Fleischman, M. J. (1979). Maintenance of treatment effects. Some considerations concerning family systems and follow-up data. Behavior Therapy 10, 168185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peterson, D. R. (1961). Behaviour problems of middle childhood. Journal of Consulting Psychology 25, 205209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, J. B. and Patterson, G. R. (1976). Follow-up analyses of a behavioural treatment program for boys with conduct problems: A reply to Kent. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 44, 297302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rickard, K. M., Forehand, R., Wells, K. C., Griest, D. L. and McMahon, R. J. (1981). Factors in the referral of children for behavioural treatment: A comparison of mothers of clinic-referred deviant, clinic-referred nondeviant, and nonclinic children. Behaviour Research and Therapy 19, 201205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robins, L. N. (1979). Follow-up studies. In Psychopathological Disorders of Childhood, Quay, H. C. and Werry, J. S. (Eds). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Robinson, E. A., Eyberg, S. M. and Ross, A. W. (1980). The standardization of an inventory of child conduct problem behaviours. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 9, 2229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, M. and Scott, M. J. (1985). An evaluation of the effectiveness of individual and group cognitive therapy in the treatment of depressed patients in an inner city health centre. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 35, 239242.Google Scholar
Sadler, O. W. (1976). An evaluation of “groups for parents”. Journal of Community Psychology 4, 157163.3.0.CO;2-Y>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snaith, R. P., Constantopoulous, A. A., Jardine, M. Y. and McGuffin, P. (1978). A clinical scale for the self assessment of irritability (IDA). British Journal of Psychiatry 132, 164171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Speer, D. C. (1971). The behaviour problem checklist (Peterson-Quay): baseline data from parents of child guidance and nonclinic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 36, 221228.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strain, P. S., Young, C. C. and Horowitz, J. (1980). Generalized behaviour change during oppositional child training: An examination of child and family demographic variables. Behaviour Modification 5, 1526.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorley, G. and Yule, W. (1982). A role play test of parent-child interaction. Behavioural Psychotherapy 10, 146161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahler, R. G. (1980). The insular mother: Her problems in parent-child treatment. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 31, 207219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahler, R. G. and Afton, A. D. (1980). Attentional processes in insular and noninsular mothers: Some differences in their summary reports about child problem behaviour. Child Behavior Therapy 2, 2541.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wahler, R. G., House, A. E. and Stombaugh, E. E. (1976). Ecological Assessment of Child Problem Behaviour: A Clinical Package for Home. School and Institutional Settings. New York: Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Weissman, M. M., Paykel, E. S. and Klerman, G. L. (1972). The depressed woman as mother. Social Psychiatry 7, 98108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.