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Effects of social problem-solving skills training intervention programme for children with disruptive behaviour disorders
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Type
Thesis
Author
Ooi, Yoon Phaik
Supervisor
Ang, Rebecca P.
Abstract
The study examines the effectiveness of a Social Problem-Solving Skills Training (SPSST) intervention programme over and above that of Treatment As Usual (TAU), with children who were referred to an outpatient child psychiatric clinic for disruptive behaviour disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and/or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with or without a comorbidity of emotional disorders. The study employs a 2 x 3 factorial quasi-experimental design. One hundred and five children aged 8 to 12 (M = 10.22, SD = 1.31) who participated in the study were assigned to either the experimental (n = 53) or control group (n = 52). Children in both the experimental and control groups received TAU, a standard and typical service offered to children at the outpatient child psychiatric clinic. In addition, children in the experimental group attended the SPSST intervention programme that consisted of nine 1.5 hour weekly sessions.
Child, parent, and teacher measures were administered at pre-treatment, at post-treatment, and at 3-month follow up. These measures included measures of aggression, social stress, the quality of parent-child relationships, and the quality of teacher-student relationships. Changes on these measures were compared across both experimental and control groups. It was predicted that children in the experimental group who received the SPSST + TAU intervention programme would show significantly lower levels of aggression and social stress, as well as significantly better quality of parent-child relationships and teacher-student relationships in comparison to those in the control group at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up.
A series of repeated-measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were used to examine the effects of SPSST + TAU on the various dependent measures. Findings from MANOVA indicated that children in the SPSST + TAU treatment group showed significantly lower levels of aggression on parent measures at 3-month follow-up in comparison to the control group. In addition, both the SPSST + TAU and TAU treatment groups led to significantly better quality of parent-child relationships based on child-ratings at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. No significant improvements were found on parent-ratings of the quality of parent-child relationships. Findings from the study also did not reveal significant differences between children in the SPSST + TAU and those in the TAU treatment groups on social stress and the quality of teacher-student relationships at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Clinical significance testing did not suggest that the SPSST + TAU was more superior than TAU in achieving clinical impact. Majority of the children in both SPSST + TAU and TAU treatment groups remained outside the normative levels of functioning.
Results from these analyses provided some evidence of the effects of SPSST + TAU in helping children with disruptive behaviour disorders in Singapore. Findings from the present study replicated and extended previous research demonstrating the effects of social problem-solving skills treatments in reducing aggressive behaviour with children clinically referred for disruptive behaviour disorders. Interpretation of the findings, recommendations for future research, and implications of the present study were presented.
Child, parent, and teacher measures were administered at pre-treatment, at post-treatment, and at 3-month follow up. These measures included measures of aggression, social stress, the quality of parent-child relationships, and the quality of teacher-student relationships. Changes on these measures were compared across both experimental and control groups. It was predicted that children in the experimental group who received the SPSST + TAU intervention programme would show significantly lower levels of aggression and social stress, as well as significantly better quality of parent-child relationships and teacher-student relationships in comparison to those in the control group at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up.
A series of repeated-measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were used to examine the effects of SPSST + TAU on the various dependent measures. Findings from MANOVA indicated that children in the SPSST + TAU treatment group showed significantly lower levels of aggression on parent measures at 3-month follow-up in comparison to the control group. In addition, both the SPSST + TAU and TAU treatment groups led to significantly better quality of parent-child relationships based on child-ratings at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. No significant improvements were found on parent-ratings of the quality of parent-child relationships. Findings from the study also did not reveal significant differences between children in the SPSST + TAU and those in the TAU treatment groups on social stress and the quality of teacher-student relationships at post-treatment and at 3-month follow-up. Clinical significance testing did not suggest that the SPSST + TAU was more superior than TAU in achieving clinical impact. Majority of the children in both SPSST + TAU and TAU treatment groups remained outside the normative levels of functioning.
Results from these analyses provided some evidence of the effects of SPSST + TAU in helping children with disruptive behaviour disorders in Singapore. Findings from the present study replicated and extended previous research demonstrating the effects of social problem-solving skills treatments in reducing aggressive behaviour with children clinically referred for disruptive behaviour disorders. Interpretation of the findings, recommendations for future research, and implications of the present study were presented.
Date Issued
2005
Call Number
RJ506.B44 Ooi
Date Submitted
2005