NCJ Number
128889
Date Published
Unknown
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Studies focusing on the prediction of juvenile delinquency indicate that delinquent youth demonstrate certain interaction patterns during childhood which include the child's chronic opposition to parental authority and the parent's haphazard and coercive child care.
Abstract
To respond to parental concerns and the possibility of prevention, a parent training strategy is proposed. Parents, particularly mothers, get stuck in oppositional traps with their children because they are markedly deficient in some or all of the parenting skills of surveillance, discipline, and listening. Mothers need to know how to proceed in their childrearing tasks and what to do when faced with chronic opposition on the part of their children. The chronically, overtly oppositional children of mothers taught to use the parenting skills of surveillance, discipline, and listening became more compliant and more prosocial. Further research is needed to determine whether these parenting skills will lead to change in covertly oppositional children. For those parents who are not motivated, there are no demonstrable procedures to keep them involved in parent training and to ensure their use of contingency management skills following the completion of training. 63 references