Michelle Wierson

Does parent training with young noncompliant children have long-term effects?

The current study was a long-term follow-up (approx. 14 yr following treatment) of 26 late adolescents/young adults (17 yr and older) who had participated in parent training with their mothers when they were young (2-7 yr old) noncompliant children. Parent training, consisting of teaching mothers to use attends and rewards for appropriate behavior, clear commands and time-out, had reduced deviant behavior and increased compliance immediately following treatment. At this follow-up, these individuals were compared to a matched community sample on various measures of delinquency, emotional adjustment, academic progress and relationship with parents. No differences emerged between the two groups on any of the measures, suggesting that noncompliant children who participated in parent training during their early years are functioning as well as nonclinic individuals as they move into adulthood.

The role of developmental factors in planning behavioral interventions for children: Disruptive behavior as an example

Developmental factors often have been ignored in child behavior therapy. The position taken in this paper is that such factors are critical in the assessment and treatment of children. We first summarize the major developmental tasks faced by children and adolescents at different ages. We next utilize disruptive behaviors as an example and delineate the developmental trajectory for such behavior. Finally, we present how developmental theory should be utilized in designing behavioral interventions for disruptive behaviors.

The role of family stressors and parent relationships on adolescent functioning.

This study examined the association between cumulative family stressors (divorce, interparental conflict, maternal depression) and adolescent functioning as well as the protective role of the parent-adolescent relationship as perceived by the adolescent when family stressors are present. Two hundred and thirty-one adolescents, their mothers, and their social studies teachers served as the subjects. Results indicated that, as family stressors increased, adolescent functioning deteriorated. Furthermore, a positive parent-adolescent relationship as perceived by the adolescent was associated with less deterioration in all areas of functioning. The role of the relationship in protecting the adolescent supported both a stress buffering model and a main effect model.

Role of maternal functioning and parenting skills in adolescent functioning following parental divorce

While divorce has been associated with impaired child functioning, the mechanisms within the divorce process leading to such an outcome have rarely been examined. The following hypothesis was examined: Divorce is associated with poor parental adjustment or disrupts parenting behavior, or both, which leads to poor adolescent functioning. Subjects were 121 and 93 young adolescents from intact and recently divorced families, respectively, and their mothers and teachers. Mothers completed measures assessing parental conflict and depression, observers coded parenting skills during a mother-adolescent interaction, and teachers completed measures assessing adolescent functioning. Although the magnitude of differences was not large, analyses of variance indicated that the divorced sample was functioning poorer than the married sample on all measures except interparental conflict. Path analysis suggested that parental functioning and parenting skills play a role in adolescent functioning following divorce.

Disclosure of parental HIV infection to children in the families of men with hemophilia: Description, outcomes, and the role of family processes.

Disclosure of serostatus is a difficult issue faced by individuals who have the AIDS virus, particularly when the HIV-infected individual is a parent and the question is whether to disclose to a child. The present study examined disclosure of paternal HIV status and the associations between disclosure and child functioning in the families of men who have hemophilia and are HIV infected. Results indicated that disclosure of HIV status was more common with older children, among Caucasian families, and in families in which fathers are more ill. The parent-child relationship, but not disclosure, was significantly associated with child functioning when disclosure was considered within the content of the family processes. A more positive parent-child relationship was related to lower levels of child depression and externalizing problems and to better grades.

Epidemiology and treatment of mental health problems in juvenile delinquents

Abstract In an effort to establish the comorbidity rates of various mental health problems and juvenile delinquency and to determine the most efficacious treatments for such dually diagnosed youths, over 75 publications were reviewed. Despite a dearth of methodologically sound findings, some tentative conclusions were possible. First, in addition to conduct disorder, several other diagnosable mental disorders appear to occur frequently in the population of juvenile delinquents. These problems include personality, affective, attention deficit hyperactivity, and substance abuse disorders, and mental retardation. Most reported treatment studies were for conduct problems, although there were a few reports of interventions for sexual disorders, substance abuse prevention, and mental retardation, most of which were somewhat successful on a short-term basis. Reasons for the lack of high quality empirical studies of the mental health problems of juvenile delinquents were proposed, and the importance of increasing our knowledge base and improving service delivery for such comorbid disorders was stressed.

Cross-informant consistency in externalizing and internalizing problems in early adolescence

The concept of cross-informant consistency has long been a topic of interest for those involved in assessment of behavior problems in adolescence. The purpose of the present study was to replicate and expand the existing literature by including four informants (mother, father, teacher, and adolescent self-report) and examining correlations among them as well as differences between reporters on an absolute level of both internalizing and externalizing problems. Fifty-two young adolescents (ranging in age from 11 to 15 years) and their mothers, fathers, and social studies teachers participated in the study. The Conduct Disorder subscale, Socialized Aggression subscale, and Anxiety/Withdrawal subscale of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist were used. Results indicated that teachers showed little agreement with other informants on conduct problems (teachers reporting fewer problems), while parents and adolescents showed significant agreement. Informants showed no agreement on the measure of covert problems (socialized aggression), and all reports showed agreement on internalizing problems (although teachers continued to report fewer problems). Implications for assessment of young adolescents are discussed.

Coping with illness: Interrelationships across family members and predictors of psychological adjustment.

This study examined coping in families in which there was a chronically ill parent. Husbands, wives, and one child (ages 7-18 years) from 75 families in which the husband had hemophilia participated. Coping styles and psychological adjustment were assessed, and patterns of coping among family members were examined. Avoidant coping was associated with poorer adjustment for all family members. In addition, the coping style of one family member was found to be related to the psychological adjustment of other family members. Avoidant coping by one spouse related to poorer psychological functioning in the other spouse, and avoidant coping by either parent related to greater child adjustment problems for girls and boys.

Juvenile delinquency entry and persistence: Do attention problems contribute to conduct problems?

We examined the role of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in juvenile delinquency. Forty-two incarcerated male delinquents participated. Thirty of these youths met the criterion for conduct disorder (CD), only while 12 met the criterion for CD and ADHD. The results indicated that the latter group were arrested at an earlier age and had more total arrests than those in the former group; however, they did not have more criminal charges against them. The role of intellectual and academic skills in these findings was considered. It appears that ADHD has an important additive influence on the development and persistence of juvenile delinquency. Implications for the behavior therapist are discussed.

A short-term longitudinal examination of young adolescent functioning following divorce: the role of family factors.

The purposes of this study were to examine young adolescent functioning over a 2-year period after divorce and to assess the role of two family factors, interpersonal conflict and the parent-adolescent relationship, in predicting such functioning. One hundred and twelve young adolescents, their mothers, and their social studies teachers served as participants. One-half of the adolescent were from recently divorced families and one-half were from married families. Mothers completed measures concerning interparental conflict and the parent-adolescent relationship, adolescents completed a measure of the relationship, and teachers completed measures assessing four areas of adolescent functioning. The results indicated that adolescents from divorced families were functioning less well than those from married families. There were no changes in adolescent functioning and the parent-adolescent relationship from the first to second year postdivorce. High levels of interparental conflict in divorced families were associated with more parent-adolescent relationship problems. In turn parent-adolescent relationships problems served as the best predictor of concurrent and subsequent difficulty in adolescent functioning.