Negative Verbal Interaction Research Articles

Social Skills Interventions for Students With Challenging Behavior

This study provides results on a methodological quality review of the single-case research literature from 1998 to 2014 on the use of social skills interventions for students with challenging behavior. A systematic review of the social skills literature was conducted with the intent of updating the Mathur et al. study of social skills interventions. Twenty-four studies, published between 1998 and 2014, were identified and coded for methodological quality. Findings indicated half the studies failed to meet single-case design standards. Many studies did not sufficiently report reliability, implementation fidelity, or provide adequate opportunities to demonstrate intervention effect. The three most common behaviors across all studies were noncompliance, negative verbal interactions, and class disruptions. The majority of studies were conducted in early elementary grades. Results are discussed in the context of the need for greater methodological rigor for future single-case research studies in the area of social skills instruction.

SIG 16 Perspectives Vol. 12, No. 4, December 2011

SIG 16 Perspectives Vol. 12, No. 4, December 2011

Effects of a Dependent Group Contingency on the Verbal Interactions of Middle School Students with Emotional Disturbance

This study examined the effects of a dependent group contingency to increase positive verbal interactions among nine middle school-aged males in a self-contained classroom. Prior to implementing the group contingency, the students received social skills instruction. A withdrawal experimental design was then used to evaluate the effects of the dependent group contingency. Students’ positive verbal interactions increased and negative verbal interactions decreased with the implementation of the dependent group contingency. When the group contingency was faded, positive and negative interaction levels were maintained. The results are discussed in terms of developing positive interaction skills among youth with emotional disturbance and the application of dependent group contingencies with these students.

Interpersonal conflict and physical abuse in relation to pregnancy and infant birth weight.

Women's experiences of different kinds of abusive behavior by their partners were studied in relation to birth weight of the women's infants and other pregnancy outcome measures. Eighty-four women who delivered a low-birth-weight (< 2500 g) infant (cases) and 90 women who delivered an infant with higher birth weight (controls) were interviewed in a case-control study. Information about the partners' behavior during conflicts were obtained by use of a modified Conflict Tactics Scale. Different interpersonal conflict behaviors were categorized as negative verbal interaction or moderate or severe physical abuse. Women who had experienced moderate or severe violence in a relationship also had experienced negative verbal interaction from their partner. Low birth weight was not associated with experiences of any interpersonal conflict behavior in the total sample (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.42-1.37). Among women with a low birth weight infant, mean birth weight was 261 g lower among those who reported any interpersonal conflict behavior during pregnancy. Birth of a low-birth-weight infant was not associated with abuse in a wide sense. Also, such abuse was unassociated with a variety of other complications during pregnancy, lifestyle characteristics, or pregnancy outcome measures.

Otitis Media and the Social Behavior of Day-Care-Attending Children

Research has suggested that young children who experience chronic middle ear disease (otitis media) in early childhood may display some initial developmental delays in language development as well as later problems in school. This association between otitis media and developmental problems is hypothesized to be linked to the hearing loss that accompanies frequent or long bouts of otitis media. Recent interest has focused on whether otitis media may be linked to behavioral changes in children, making them less responsive to the environment even when well. This study examined the relation between early otitis media in day-care-attending children and their subsequent behavior in the day-care classroom when the children were well. Findings suggest that day-care-attending children with chronic otitis media in the first 3 years of life play more often alone and have fewer positive and fewer negative verbal interactions with peers than nonchronic children in day-care. There were no differences between chronic and nonchronic otitis media children in their nonverbal behavior. Results may also contribute to our understanding of the development of the socially withdrawn child.

Differential patterns of partner-to-woman violence: A comparison of samples of community, alcohol-abusing, and battered women

This paper compared a sample of women in treatment for alcoholism (N = 45) with a randomly selected sample of women from the local community (N = 40), and a sample of women receiving services for victimization by severe partner violence (N = 38). Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) items were dichotomized into low frequency of partner violence (twice per year or less) and high frequency of violence (once per month or more), and then summed to yield separate low frequency and high frequency scores for each CTS subscale. Results showed that at the high frequency level, battered women reported the highest scores on each subscale, alcoholic women the second highest, and the community sample of women reported the lowest level of violence. A multiple regression analysis revealed that being in the alcoholic sample significantly predicted high frequency negative verbal interaction and moderate violence, controlling for presence of a partner with alcohol-related problems and demographic differences among the samples.

Spousal violence among alcoholic women as compared to a random household sample of women.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between spousal violence and women's alcoholism problems. This study compares two samples: (1) 45 alcoholic women selected from local treatment agencies and Alcoholics Anonymous groups and (2) 40 nonalcoholic women selected randomly from households. Two-hour interview schedules were administered to both samples. The Conflict Tactics Scale was used to assess spouse-to-woman violence. Alcoholic women were found to have higher levels of spouse-to-woman negative verbal interaction, moderate violence and severe violence as compared to the household women. Multivariate analyses revealed that spouse violence scores were strong predictors of type of sample. This was true even after controlling for presence of alcohol problems in the spouse, income, parental violence, parental alcohol problems and changes in parental family. These findings suggest that alcoholism treatment programs should screen for spousal violence among women alcoholics and that victims of spousal violence should be screened for alcohol-related problems.

Maternal criticism, mother-child interaction, and bronchial asthma

The study investigated maternal critical attitude (CA) and negative mother-child communication in families with an asthmatic child and in controls. Twenty-five children with bronchial asthma (7–13 yr) and 25 healthy children with their mothers participated in the project. Mothers were asked to describe their child (Five Minute Speech Sample; FMSS). Additionally mother and child discussed a mutual problem (Problem Discussion; PD). Videorecordings were taken. CA was assessed from the mothers' responses during FMSS. Negative verbal behavior during PD was coded for mother and child. During FMSS significantly more mothers of the asthmatic children than of the controls showed CA. During PD mothers of the asthmatic children made significantly more critical remarks than their controls. Within the asthmatic group, CA mothers showed significantly more criticisms than those with non-CA. Significantly more long sequences of negative verbal interaction occurred in mother-child-dyads with a CA mother than in those with a non-CA mother.

Childhood Experiences of Parental Physical Violence for Alcoholic Women as Compared with a Randomly Selected Household Sample of Women

The effects of childhood experiences of parental violence on the development of alcoholism in women were examined by comparing a sample of 45 alcoholic women selected from local treatment agencies and Alcoholics Anonymous groups with 40 nonalcoholic women selected randomly from the population. Two-hour person-to-person interview schedules were administered to both samples. The Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) assessed both father-to-daughter and mother-to-daughter relationships. Type of sample was regressed on each CTS subscale, controlling for presence of parental alcoholism, number of childhood changes in family structure, present age of respondent, and present income source. Alcoholic women were found to have higher father-to-daughter negative verbal interaction, moderate violence, and serious violence than household women. Father-to-daughter positive verbal interaction was found unrelated to membership in the alcoholism sample. None of the mother-to-daughter subscales were found to predict membership in the alcoholism sample.

The interrelationships and reliability of a multilevel behavior-based assessment package for distressed couples

Twenty-six couples interested in improving their marital relationships participated in a multi-level behavior based assessment battery. The measures included self-reported, self-monitored, and observed components, all of which were examined for their interrelationships. Test-retest reliability was carried out with six of the couples. Self-reported measures, self-monitored pleasing behaviors, observed positive nonverbal and some negative verbal interactions were found to be consistent. In general, the various levels of measurement were found to be significantly related to each other. Some of the findings were applied to coercion and reciprocity formulations of marital interactions.

Behavioral Consultation in a Secondary Class: Using DRL to Decrease Negative Verbal Interactions

(1982). Behavioral Consultation in a Secondary Class: Using DRL to Decrease Negative Verbal Interactions. School Psychology Review: Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 428-432.