Treatment of Oppositional Behavior in Children of Parents with Brain Injury and Chronic Pain

Abstract

Following a brain injury, parents often experience dispositional changes that can have a devastating effect on family relationships. Such problems are often amplified by the presence of chronic pain,which is a common sequela of brain injury and can reduce or impede the parent's ability to maintain a warm and responsive relationship with the child. In this case study involving two fathers with brain injury and severe chronic pain, we evaluated the effects of errorless compliance training, a recently developed, nonintrusive and success-based intervention, on the cooperation of their sons. After their parents' head injury, the children became severely avoidant and oppositional with the injured parents. Following treatment, children demonstrated high levels of compliance to parental requests as well as generalization and maintenance of treatment gains. Errorless compliance training may be useful for assisting parents with cognitive, emotional, and physical impairments to maintain a more cooperative relationship with their children.