Citation

O'Rourke S, Richling S, Brogan K, McDougale C, Rapp JT. Behav. Modif. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0145445519890261

PMID

31747778

Abstract

For individuals receiving treatment in residential juvenile facilities, the inability to tolerate typical but unpleasant stimulus events may manifest in aggressive behavior toward staff or other residents. Such behaviors can lead to loss of privileges, interfere with other treatments, and contribute to negative staff-student relationships. As a procedure, tolerance training (TT) involves systematically increasing the duration of exposure to an undesired stimulus event or situation. The current study evaluated the effects of a procedure to increase tolerance of aversive situations for four adolescents who were receiving treatment for sexual offenses in a residential detention facility.

RESULTS from single-subject experimental designs indicate that TT increased all four adolescents' ability to tolerate a non-preferred stimulus event. We briefly discuss the clinical implications of the use of behavior-analytic procedures to improve skill sets for adolescents in residential treatment facilities.

Keywords: Juvenile justice

Language: en

Keywords

delay tolerance; detained adolescents; differential reinforcement; graduated exposure; juvenile justice; residential treatment