NCJ Number
104398
Date Published
1985
Length
187 pages
Annotation
This book describes a structured learning program for the development of psychological and interpersonal skills to modify parental abusive behavior.
Abstract
An overview of the child abuse problem focuses on its definition, incidence, related demographic characteristics, the abusive parent, parent-child interactions, and the social context. Following a review of intervention approaches, the structured learning approach for modifying abusive behavior is presented. This involves teaching parents self-control, parenting skills, marital skills, and general interpersonal skills. The teaching method involves the repeated modeling of constructive responses in various situations associated with abusive behavior. Teachers guide the parents in practicing the modeled behavior under favorable conditions until they perform it skillfully and spontaneously. Success experiences are then arranged for initial efforts at modified behaviors within the family. Chapters present step-by-step procedures for trainer selection and assessment, the selection and grouping of parents, training, and problem resolution. A chapter on program administration illustrates how one child abuse agency has used structured learning for parents. The concluding chapter presents a series of evaluative investigations which tested the effectiveness of the structured learning approach. 263 references and subject index.