Date of Award

1987

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a time-limited social learning family therapy model in maintaining treatment changes in families of aggressive, second- through sixth-grade boys. Twenty of 28 families completing a treatment program offered by the Family Therapy Project at Indiana State University also completed follow-up assessments nine to twelve months following their termination from treatment. These families completed instruments to assess the maintenance of treatment gains in the areas of child behavior, family environment/relationships, family problem-solving abilities, parental depression, and marital adjustment/satisfaction. The following instruments were used to determine treatment gains and maintenance on the aforementioned variables: Daily Behavior Checklist, Parent Daily Report, Child Behavior Checklist, Family Environment Scale, Beavers-Timberlawn Family Evaluation Scale, Family Problem-Solving Behavior Coding System, Problem-Solving Efficiency Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test. The five dependent variables were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures for pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow up assessments. Following a significant F-ratio, a Duncan's Multiple Range Test was employed to determine the time interval within which significant family and child behavior changes occurred. Significant increases were found to occur between pre- and posttreatment for positive child behaviors at home and school, family cohesion, empathy, problem-solving efficiency, and total positive family relationships with corresponding decreases in family conflict, paternal depression, and negative/aggressive child behaviors at home and school. No significant differences occurred in marital adjustment/satisfaction or maternal level of depression; however, a post hoc analysis revealed a significant increase in marital adjustment/satisfaction for those parents reporting low scores on this variable at pretreatment. These changes were maintained from 9 to 12 months following treatment. It was concluded that the treatment program was an effective family therapy model for reducing aggressive/disruptive child and family behaviors and training these families and children to maintain the positive behavioral changes within the family environment. Further implementations of this therapy model are encouraged to include other child populations (e.g., girls, attention deficit children, culturally diverse samples) and implications for clinical practice are offered.

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