NCJ Number
130518
Date Published
1988
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Parent training can be used to instill consistent, contingent child rearing practices that increase family attachment and cohesion and decrease juvenile delinquent behaviors.
Abstract
The key elements of parent training include knowledge building, skill development, use of contingencies, verbal or written contracts, rewards, and mild punishment. Much of the research in this area is characterized by poor sampling and small sample sizes, weak designs, and inadequate measurement. Like many family-oriented prevention programs, parent training is disproportionately available to white families. There is a high rate of attrition from these programs as from all types of family therapies. Siblings and peers are often involved in the therapeutic process as adjunctive therapists. Further research is needed to determine the length of training and the benefits of group or individual training. Problem solving, negotiation skills, and communication skills training supplement parent training. Print and video packages have produced desirable results when limited to advice for specific situations. Several studies have examined whether parents who focus on one or two child behaviors during their training are able to generalize their skills to modify behaviors which occur in other settings and times. Parent training techniques have been applied less successfully to high risk populations; parental ability to provide consistent rewards and punishments is linked to a stable social environment. 3 notes and 70 references (Author abstract modified)