Date of Award
Spring 1999
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Fox, Robert
Second Advisor
Brenner, Viktor
Third Advisor
Kipfmueller, Mark
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a manualized parenting intervention with families whose young children are at-risk for developing mental health problems. Specifically, this study will assess parents using the Discipline Subscale from the Parent Behavior Checklist (Fox, 1994) as a means of identifying at-risk families. The Discipline Subscale measures the frequency of parental use of corporal and verbal punishment with one- to five-year-old children. These at-risk parents will be provided with a manualized, cognitive-behavioral intervention aimed at changing and improving certain parenting behaviors. Specifically, the targeted parent behaviors include the development of appropriate discipline and nurturing strategies as well as setting reasonable, developmentally appropriate goals. Finally, both the parent and the child will be evaluated to determine if this intervention successfully changed the parent's and the child's behaviors in a positive direction and whether or not these changes are maintained over the time of the follow-up which will take place after six to eight weeks.