Citation

Dumas JE. Educ. Treat. Child. 1984; 7(4): 351-363.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, West Virginia University Press)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

One hundred and nine families participated in a behavioral parent training program to modify aggressive and abusive family relationships. At follow-ups ranging from 3 to 24 months, each family was assigned to one of two groups according to its treatment outcome status (success, no success). The groups were then compared on 16 variables obtained from standardized intake assessments and selected to reflect the child, adult-interactional, and socioeconomic characteristics of each family. A discriminant analysis model which included three indices computed to summarize these characteristics accounted for 43% of the variance in outcome and classified 77% of the participants correctly. This model predicted a steady increase in the probability of treatment failure as socioeconomic, adult-interactional, and, to a lesser extent, child adversity increased. Implications are discussed. It is concluded that the dyadic perspective within which aggressive and abusive family relationships have commonly been conceptualized and treated must be expanded to reflect the broad ecological context in which parent and child function.

Language: en