Training Abusive Parents in Effective Child Management

Abstract

Parent training and contingency contracting were experimentally applied as methods of intervention with three abusive mothers and their families. High-risk parent/child interactions and problem situations were assessed by means of a family interaction coding system in the home and served as the focus of intervention over ten sessions. A two-variable withdrawal design demonstrated that both treatment modes produced a stable reduction in high-risk interaction patterns over duration of the intervention period, which was maintained at three, eight, and twelve-month follow-ups for the separate families, although the relative contribution of each variable was not functionally demonstrated. The results of this study suggest that behavioral training methods with child abusers can substantially reduce the risk of recurring abuse by providing these parents with effective child management techniques. Furthermore, assessment of family interactions in abusive homes distinguished between an "abusive parent," an `abusive child," and an "abusive partnership." These three distinct patterns may have important theoretical and practical implications.