Deviant Child Behavior Research Articles

Effects of Deviant Child Behavior on Parental Alcohol Consumption: Stress‐Induced Drinking in Parents of ADHD Children

Distress and ad lib alcohol consumption after interactions with child confederates were investigated in parents of children with externalizing disorders—attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Sixty subjects interacted with boys trained to act like either normal children or children with ADHD/CD/ODD. Interactions with deviant confederates resulted in feelings of inadequacy and produced negative affect but had no effect on alcohol consumption. Post hoc analyses showed that parents with a family history of alcohol problems (FH+) showed increased drinking after interaction with a deviant confederate, compared with FH+ parents who interacted with the normal confederate. FH‐ parents showed the opposite pattern of results. (Am J Addict 1998; 7:103–114)

Effects of Deviant Child Behavior on Parental Alcohol Consumption Stress-Induced Drinking in Parents of ADHD Children

Distress and ad lib alcohol consumption after interactions with child confederates were investigated in parents of children with externalizing disorders--attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Sixty subjects interacted with boys trained to act like either normal children or children with ADHD/CD/ODD. Interactions with deviant confederates resulted in feelings of inadequacy and produced negative affect but had no effect on alcohol consumption. Post hoc analyses showed that parents with a family history of alcohol problems (FH+) showed increased drinking after interaction with a deviant confederate, compared with FH+ parents who interacted with the normal confederate. FH- parents showed the opposite pattern of results.

Ecosystem Adversity as Setting Factors in Mothers' Judgment of Child Behavior and Indiscriminate Mothering

Several studies have shown that troubled mothers are not accurate observers of their children's behavior. These mothers have a global and usually blame-oriented reporting style coloured by disphoric views of social isolation, social coercion and socioeconomic disadvantage. The dsyphoric view describes a number of contextual or setting factors that seem to influence a mother's observational reports about her child more than the child's actual behavior does. Of course, when this observational bias exists, the mother's parenting performance is bound to be comprised. According to the considerations above, this study was designed with a group of 21 mother-child dyads characterized by their coercive interactions and child abuse (physical and emotional). The children were school-aged children ranging from 4 to 14 years of age and all mother-child dyads were observed at home. Two sets of analyses were conducted, one related to the maternal perception and one related to maternal behavior. The maternal judgment of the child's externalizing behavior problems throughout the CBCL.E and of the child's deviant behavior through the dayly scale rating constitued the criterion variables for the maternal perception analyses. The indiscriminate maternal reaction to child prosocial behavior was the criterion for the second set of analyses. Ecosystem variables and observational measures were taken as the predictors. The findings suggest that the role played by the child's deviant behavior as predictor is very important in the mother's specific report, the mother's rating of her child's behavior during the previous hour. However, the best predictors of the mother's global judgment were both her actual aversive behavior and the setting factor as well as the perceived quality of social contacts. Likewise, with regard to the maternal behavior predictions, the results indicate that ecosystem factors and maternal judgment predicted the mother's indiscriminate behavior following her child's prosocial behavior. Implications of these findings are discussed.

A cross-national EEG study of children with emotional and behavioral problems: A WHO collaborative study in the Western Pacific region

Electroencephalograms (EEGs) of children from the general population, assessed by Rutter's questionnaires as having deviant behavior, were quantitatively evaluated in Japan ( n = 27), China ( n = 39), and Korea ( n = 87). Compared with age-matched normal behavior children in Japan ( n = 30), China ( n = 27), and Korea ( n = 26), there were no differences either in the EEG frequency pattern or other EEG variables. The EEGs of age-matched children diagnosed with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity in psychiatric clinics in Japan ( n = 21), China ( n = 41), and Korea ( n = 29), were significantly different from those of normal and deviant behavior groups. There were more delta and fast theta waves and fewer alpha waves in all three countries, and hypothetical EEG maturation was retearded in Japan and China. These results suggested that the deviant behavior of children in the general population had no biological background, but presumably stemmed from psychosocial disadvantages. In contrast, the symptoms of hyperactive children seemed to be related to a biological dysfunction such as brain immaturity.

Normal and deviant behavior in blind children with ROP.

Congenitally blind children, especially with ROP, are at risk for developing autistic traits. Early behavior risk screening would be of value, but no instruments with acceptable specificity are available. Traditional behavioral symptoms of infantile autism also characterize blind children without autistic disturbance. This report attempts at identifying early behavior patterns that distinguish autistic from non-autistic blind children with ROP. Developmental data, parents' reports, and video-recordings are analyzed. It is concluded that observations of developmental delays are not specific enough in screening out the risk group. However, it is possible to describe a behavior pattern, emerging between 12 and 30 months, of unresponsitivity and stereotypic object manipulation, which distinguishes autistic and non-autistic subjects. This might be a pattern of specific risk behavior in blind children. However, further prospective studies must be performed to test these proportions.

Parental alcohol consumption and deviant child behavior: Laboratory studies of reciprocal effects

A series of laboratory experiments that examine the relationship between parental alcohol consumption and deviant child behavior is reviewed. The studies were designed to evaluate the familial influences that two disinhibitory disorders, parental alcohol problems and childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may have on one another. The studies provide evidence of bidirectional effects. Specifically, (a) alcohol consumption has deleterious effects on the management strategies that parents use to control children's deviant behavior, and (b) children's deviant behavior increases parental distress and alcohol consumption. These effects may vary as a function of such variables as parental gender, marital status (for women), familial risk for alcohol problems, and parent and child psychopathology.

Programming for generalization to high and low risk parenting situations in families with oppositional developmentally disabled preschoolers.

This study examined the generalization effects of a training program for parents of oppositional, mildly developmentally disabled preschool children. Specifically, the study sought to determine the possible differential generalization effects of treatment to high and low risk parenting settings. Treatment comprised child management and planned activities training procedures specifically designed to enhance generalization effects. A multiple baseline design across subjects that incorporated a non-treatment control subject was employed. Dependent measures included deviant child behavior, accuracy of parent implementation of treatment procedures, and specific measures of aversive and non-aversive parent behaviors. Three of the treated families showed marked reductions in levels of deviant behavior, as well as increases in parental implementation of treatment procedures in both the training setting and the low risk generalization setting. Two of these three families showed comparable improvements in the high risk setting. The control subject showed little improvement in either generalization setting. It was concluded that the treatment program was effective in producing generalization effects in parent training.

Agreement among Teachers in Using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist to Identify Deviant Behavior in Children

Using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist, the behavior of 95 middle school children was rated by two groups of teachers. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a low degree of relationship between ratings by the two groups. Teacher ratings for each child were then recoded as 1 (normal). 2 (mildly deviant), or 3 (highly deviant). The number of cases in which both groups agreed in identifying deviant children was determined. Results indicate little agreement between the two groups of teachers in identifying children who were either mildly deviant or highly deviant. Several recommendations are offered concerning the use of behavior rating checklists in the diagnostic process.

The relationship between adult alcohol consumption and deviant child behavior: William E. Pelham, Jr. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA; Alan R. Lang. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL; Debra A. Murphy. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Beverly Atkeson. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

The relationship between adult alcohol consumption and deviant child behavior: William E. Pelham, Jr. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA; Alan R. Lang. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL; Debra A. Murphy. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Beverly Atkeson. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

Group training for parents of children with behavior problems

Abstract This article contains an assessment of behaviorally oriented group training used to manage deviant behavior in children.

Agreement between Parents and Teachers in Using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist to Identify Deviant Behavior in Children

Parent and teacher ratings of 141 middle school children were collected using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated a low degree of relationship between parent and teacher ratings. Ratings were then recorded as 1 (normal), 2 (mildly deviant), or 3 (highly deviant). There was a general lack of agreement between parents and teachers in identifying children who were either mildy deviant or highly deviant.

Acceptability of aversive procedures and medication as treatment alternatives for deviant child behavior.

The present investigation evaluated the acceptability of alternative treatments for deviant child behavior. Clinical cases of children who displayed severe behavioral problems at home and a school were described along with three different treatments. The treatments, time-out from reinforcement, locked seclusion, and medication, were rated by psychiatric inpatient children and parents in a 3 X 3 replicated Latin-square design. The investigation also evaluated whether acceptability ratings were influenced by the clinical effectiveness of treatment in altering behavior. Although children and parents did not differ overall in acceptability ratings, they differed in their ranking of different treatments. Children viewed medication as the most acceptable treatment, whereas parents viewed time-out as the most acceptable treatment. For both children and parents, treatments described as producing marked effects were rated as more acceptable than treatments producing weaker effects. The results indicated that disturbed children and their parents can readily distinguish the acceptability of alternative treatments. The implications of treatment acceptability for clinical applications of treatment are discussed.

The Effects of Parent Training and Ritalin on the Parent-Child Interactions of Hyperactive Boys

Using a multiple baseline across subjects design, the present study assessed the effects of parent training alone and combined with methylphenidate on the social interactions of three mothers with their hyperactive boys. Two mothers received instruction in child behavior management while their sons remained off medication. Subsequently, these boys returned to medication to evaluate whether the drug further enhanced the effects of parent training. The third child received the drug treatment first and then remained on medication while his mother underwent the same parent training program. Results indicated that both treatments alone decreased the amount of commands given by the mother as well as parent ratings of deviant child behavior in the home, but produced variable improvements in child compliance to commands. More reliable improvements in child compliance to commands. More reliable improvements from each treatment occurred in the duration of compliance per command. the combination of treatments failed to produce any further improvements in mother-child interactions than that achieved by either treatment alone. Contrary to earlier research, only parent training resulted in increases in the mothers' use of positive attention following child compliance.

A comparative evaluation of a parent-training program

This report is one of a series of outcome evaluation studies for parent-training procedures tailored specifically to families of preadolescent antisocial children. Referred families were screened to identify 19 problem children who were observed in their homes to be high-rate social aggressors. Cases were randomly assigned to the parent-training procedures or to a waiting-list comparison group. All but one of the latter accepted a referral for treatment elsewhere in the community. After an average of 17 hours of therapy time, the cases in the experimental group were terminated. Posttreatment observation data were collected in the homes of both the experimental and the comparison groups. The results indicated that, relative to the changes in the comparison sample, the parenttraining sample showed a significantly greater reduction in the observed rates of deviant child behavior.

Factors associated with parent labeling of children referred for conduct problems.

Clinicians have suggested that in some cases normal children have been inappropriately labeled as deviant by their parents and taken to psychological clinics for treatment. Reasons given for such inappropriate labeling have included factors such as the parents' marital distress and intolerance of normal child behavior. This study provided an empirical examination of the appropriateness or inappropriateness of parent labeling of 5--12-year-old children referred by their parents for treatment of conduct problems. The definition of inappropriate labeling derived by the present investigators required that the relationship between the child's actual behavior and the parent's negative label be so imperfect as to raise questions about the justification for the label, and that some identifiable factors other than the child's behavior account for the negative label. Three parent factors evaluated for their contribution to the parent negative label were martial distress, parent negative behavior toward the child, and parent distress about child deviant behavior. The statistical model of hierarchical multiple regression permitted analysis of this definition. The association found between observed child deviant behavior and the parent negative label suggested that parents of this sample perceived their children reasonably accurately. The three parent factors were found to be negligibly related to the parent label. Therefore, the conditions for inappropriate labeling of the children by the parents of this sample were not met.

Maternal perception of maladjustment in clinic-referred children: An extension of earlier research

The purpose of the present study was to extend earlier research examining predictors of maternal perceptions of maladjustment in clinic-referred children. Forty-five mothers and their clinic-referred children served as subjects. Maternal perceptions of child maladjustment were measured by the Parent Attitude Test. Maternal depression, marital adjustment, and family socioeconomic status were determined by the Beck Depression Inventory, Locke Marital Adjustment Test, and Myers and Bean index of social status, respectively. Child compliance and child deviant behavior (other than noncompliance) were obtained in home observations collected by independent observers. The results indicated that maternal depression was the best predictor of maternal perception of children. The remaining variables failed to contribute to the multiple regression analyses. Separate analyses also were performed on males and females and different predictor variables emerged for the two groups.

Effects of parent enhancement therapy on the treatment outcome and generalization of a parent training program

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of parent enhancement training in facilitating treatment and maintenance effects of a parent training program. Seventeen mothers and their clinic-referred noncompliant children were assigned to either a parent training alone group or a parent training plus parent enhancement therapy group. Fifteen mothers and their nonclinic children served as a quasi-control group. All clinic-referred mother-child dyads were treated individually by teaching the mother to reward compliance and other prosocial behavior and to use time-out for noncompliance. In addition, mothers in the parent training plus parent enhancement group also received treatment related to the following areas: parent's perception of their child's behavior, parent's personal adjustment, parent's marital adjustment, and parent's extrafamilial relationships. Assessment consisted of four home observations by independent observers prior to treatment, after treatment, and at a 2-month follow-up. The data indicated that the parent training plus parent enhancement therapy was more effective than parent training alone in changing child deviant behavior at posttreatment and in maintaining child compliance, child deviant behavior, parental rewards and parent contingent attention at follow-up. The control group did not change over the three assessment periods.

Acceptability of child treatment techniques: The influence of treatment efficacy and adverse side effects

Acceptability of alternative treatments for deviant child behavior was evaluated in two experiments. In each experiment, undergraduate students rated four different treatments applied to clinical case descriptions of children. The treatments (reinforcement of incompatible behavior, positive practice, time out from reinforcement, and medication) were presented in a 4 × 4 replicated Latin Square design. The investigations evaluated the effects of treatment efficacy (Experiment 1) and the influence of adverse side effects associated with treatment (Experiment 2) on ratings of treatment acceptability. Treatments were consistently different in their acceptability ratings. In both experiments, reinforcement was rated as more acceptable than the other treatments which followed in order, positive practice, time out, and medication. The effectiveness of treatments in altering behavior did not influence acceptability ratings, although they did influence perceptions of strength of treatment. In contrast, the presence of undesirable side effects markedly influenced acceptability ratings. Stronger adverse side effects reduced acceptability ratings of all treatments.

A Comparison of Parent Effectiveness Training and Behavior Modification Parent Training

The need for effective parenting procedures has been extensively reviewed in the current literature. However, parent training is such a broad area to investigate that comparison studies of different techniques have been relatively sparse in number. A comparison was made among a Behavior Modification parent training workshop, Parent Effectiveness Training and a control group. Both process and outcome measures were employed to investigate their intervention effects through the use of an analysis of covariance statistical design. Differential effects were found among the three groups. It was discovered that the Behavior Modification workshop effectively reduced deviant child behaviors and parental perceptions of problem child behaviors, whereas the Parent Effectiveness Training group effectively increased positive parental consequations, family cohesion, and decreased family conflict. Both Behavior Modification and Parent Effectiveness Training groups significantly increased their respective knowledge of the techniques involved. Implications of these results were discussed in relation to the goals of a parent training program. In addition, the need for further research in the parent management area is emphasized.

Disintegration of the family in the etiology of deviant behavior

The research discussed in this paper concerns the dysfunctional syndrome in problem families In Poland that causes maladjustment and deviant behavior of children. Those people shirking payment of alimony for children were surveyed. The results demonstrated that such families experience much worse material and housing conditions than average Polish families and that this syndrome of psychological, social, and material factors is associated with a high incidence of juvenile maladjustment and delinquency. Moreover, different kinds of deviant behavior of children tend to form a complex of syndromes. In only a few cases do they appear separately.