Preferred Name
Carly Bobal
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Date of Graduation
Spring 2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Advisor(s)
Trevor F. Stokes
Abstract
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most prevalent parent reported diagnosis among children 3-17 years of age. Parents of children with ADHD often evoke more coercive or negative interactions to help manage their child’s behavior. In addition, they report increased levels of family conflict and higher stress levels, which can place stress on couples and other members within the family system. These interactions may lead to negative reinforcement cycles that maintain or worsen problem behaviors of the child. PCIT is well documented in producing positive outcomes for children with other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, or Developmental Delays. Due to its high co-morbidity with these diagnoses, ADHD has indirectly been studied within these populations. However, research is lacking in supporting PCIT outcomes specifically for children with ADHD and generalization to untrained settings or behaviors. The current study utilized a non-concurrent multiple baseline across behaviors embedded within a multiple baseline across participants, ABCC’ single-case experimental design. The study examined the effects of an adapted PCIT program with systematically faded parent problem solving procedures for children with ADHD and their parents. The study contributes to the literature, supporting that adapted PCIT procedures can increase appropriate parent skills and decrease less supportive and negative interactions between children with ADHD and their parents. Adapted PCIT procedures were not successful at alleviating reported child ADHD symptoms, but reduced child disruptive behavior in the clinic setting and increased parent understanding of ADHD. While ADHD symptoms remained clinically elevated after the intervention, parents reported feeling less stressed, more competent in managing challenging behaviors, and having a more positive relationship with their child.
Recommended Citation
Bobal, Carly, "Improving parent-child interactions and generalized problem-solving skills in families of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder through adapted parent child interaction therapy" (2019). Dissertations, 2014-2019. 200.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/diss201019/200
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Child Psychology Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons
