Robert J. McMahon

Consumer satisfaction in behavioral treatment of children: Types, issues, and recommendations.

Consumer satisfaction in child behavior therapy is reviewed by examining satisfaction with treatment outcome, therapists, treatment procedures, and teaching format. While satisfaction in all four areas has generally been high, most investigators have limited their assessments to treatment outcome and therapists. Furthermore, the majority of studies have been in the area of parent training. A number of methodological issues are discussed including who should be assessed for satisfaction, types of and maintenance of satisfaction, and difficulties with measures being utilized. Finally, recommendations are made for future research and clinical work.

Parent Behavioral Training to Modify Child Noncompliance Treatment Generalization Across Time and from Home to School

Two experiments examined temporal and setting generality of treatment effects resulting from parent behavior training. In Experiment I, pretreatment, post-treatment, 6 month follow-up, and 12 month follow-up data were collected in the home by independent observers. Subjects were 10 mother-child pairs who had been referred for treatment for the childs noncompliance. All treatment occurred in a clinic setting. The results indicated that parent and child behavior changes and parent perceptions of child behavior change that were achieved by treatment were maintained during follow-up. In Experiment II, eight children and their mothers were treated in a clinic setting for the childs noncompliance. Data were collected before and after treatment in the home and in each childs school by independent observers. School data were also collected for untreated control children. In the home of the treated children both parent and child behaviors and parent perceptions of child behavior changed in the predicted direction. No significant change occurred in the school behavior of the children treated at home or the control children.

Using the Fast Track randomized prevention trial to test the early-starter model of the development of serious conduct problems.

The Fast Track prevention trial was used to test hypotheses from the Early-Starter Model of the development of chronic conduct problems. We randomly assigned 891 high-risk first-grade boys and girls (51% African American) to receive the long-term Fast Track prevention or not. After 4 years, outcomes were assessed through teacher ratings, parent ratings, peer nominations, and child self-report. Positive effects of assignment to intervention were evident in teacher and parent ratings of conduct problems, peer social preference scores, and association with deviant peers. Assessments of proximal goals of intervention (e.g., hostile attributional bias, problem-solving skill, harsh parental discipline, aggressive and prosocial behavior at home and school) collected after grade 3 were found to partially mediate these effects. The findings are interpreted as consistent with developmental theory.

Factors in the referral of children for behavioral treatment: A comparison of mothers of clinic-referred deviant, clinic-referred non-deviant and non-c

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare a non-clinic sample of mothers and children to two groups of clinic-referred children and their mothers. The two clinic-referred groups differed from one another in that the selection criterion for one group of children (Clinic Deviant) was that they were significantly more deviant and non-compliant than the non-clinic group whereas the selection criterion for the second group of children (Clinic Non-deviant) was that they did not differ significantly from the non-clinic group on deviant and non-compliant behavior. Home observations by independent observers and parent questionnaires examining parental adjustment and parental perceptions of child adjustment were completed. The results indicated that both clinic groups perceived their children as more maladjusted than parents in the non-clinic groups perceived their children. Parents of the children in the Clinic Non-deviant group were significantly more depressed than those in the remaining two groups, whereas parents in the Clinic Deviant group issued more vague, interrupted commands than those in the Clinic Non-deviant group. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Effects of knowledge of social learning principles on enhancing treatment outcome and generalization in a parent training program.

Examined the efficacy of incorporating formal training in social learning principles into a behavioral parent training program as a means of enhancing treatment outcome and generalization. Two groups of parents (n = 20) received behavioral skill training designed to modify child noncompliance. One g

Parent behavioral training to modify child noncompliance: Effects on untreated siblings☆

Abstract The purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to examine changes in parent behavior toward an untreated sibling after parent behavioral training to modify a target childs noncompliance and (b) to examine changes in the untreated siblings behavior. Eight clinic- referred children and their mothers served as the subjects. Parent training consisted of the use of a standardized clinic program to modify child noncompliance. The outcome measure was home observations of the parent and untreated childs interactions. The results indicated significant changes in both the parents behavior and the untreated siblings noncompliance.

The effect of parental instruction-giving on child compliance

This study investigated the effects of parental instruction-giving on child compliance. Twenty-seven mother-child pairs were randomly assigned to one of three parent-training groups: (1) command training, (2) command plus time-out training, and (3) placebo training. Command training consisted of teaching parents to issue specific, single instructions followed by a 5-sec interval in which the parent did not physically interfere or verbally interrupt her child. Pre- and postmeasures of child compliance indicated that command training resulted in increased child compliance. Parents in the command plus time-out group obtained even greater improvement in child compliance.

The treatment acceptability of a behavioral parent training program and its components

Ninety nonreferred mothers of young (3- to 8-year-old) children evaluated the treatment acceptability of a behavioral parent training program in terms of its five individual parenting skills (attends, rewards, ignoring, commands, time out), three methods of introducing each new skill to the child (rationale, rationale plus modeling, no rationale or modeling), and the program as an entity. All aspects of the program were rated very positively on overall ratings of acceptability. Strategies to increase deficit behavior (rewards, commands, attends) were rated as more acceptable than strategies used to reduce behavioral excesses (time out, ignoring). Presenting a rationale was rated as the most acceptable method of introducing the new parenting strategies to the child. Comparisons of these findings with previous studies of treatment acceptability and consumer satisfaction are made and discussed in the context of the social validity of this parent training program.

Maternal perception of maladjustment in clinic-referred children: An extension of earlier research

The purpose of the present study was to extend earlier research examining predictors of maternal perceptions of maladjustment in clinic-referred children. Forty-five mothers and their clinic-referred children served as subjects. Maternal perceptions of child maladjustment were measured by the Parent Attitude Test. Maternal depression, marital adjustment, and family socioeconomic status were determined by the Beck Depression Inventory, Locke Marital Adjustment Test, and Myers and Bean index of social status, respectively. Child compliance and child deviant behavior (other than noncompliance) were obtained in home observations collected by independent observers. The results indicated that maternal depression was the best predictor of maternal perception of children. The remaining variables failed to contribute to the multiple regression analyses. Separate analyses also were performed on males and females and different predictor variables emerged for the two groups.

Parental Manipulation of Compliance and Noncompliance in Normal and Deviant Children

The purpose of the present study was to examine if parents can manipulate child compliance and, if they can, to determine what parental behavior changes occur in order to accomplish this child behavior change. A second purpose was to examine if parents of deviant and normal children could equally and effectively manipulate child compliance. Ten mothers and their clinic-referred children and ten mothers and their nonclinic children served as subjects. All mothers were seen in a laboratory setting and instructed in one phase to make their children look compliant and in another phase to look noncompliant. All parents subsequently issued 20 standard commands to their children. The results indicated that mothers could manipulate child compliance. Mothers of deviant and normal children did not differ in their ability to change child compliance or in the behaviors they used to obtain compliance and noncompliance. Clinic-referred children were perceived as more deviant by their mothers and displayed less compliance and more general deviant behavior during the standard command situation.