NCJ Number
66196
Journal
Social Casework Volume: 61 Issue: 2 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1980) Pages: 90-99
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
ABUSING PARENTS WHO TOOK PART IN AN EDUCATIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL TREATMENT PROGRAM, POSITIVE PARENTING, WERE COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF UNTREATED ABUSERS. THE STUDY USED A PRETEST AND POSTTEST PROCESS.
Abstract
THE DIRECT SERVICE TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR ABUSERS WAS DEVELOPED IN 1974 BY FAMILY SERVICE OF OMAHA-COUNCIL BLUFFS, NEBR. THE PROGRAM WAS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTIONS, DRAWN FROM THE LITERATURE, THAT ABUSING FAMILIES TEND TO BE ISOLATED, LACK KNOWLEDGE ABOUT NORMAL CHILD DEVELOPMENT, AND ARE UNDER MUCH STRESS, AND THAT ABUSING PARENTS WERE ABUSED THEMSELVES OR LACKED NURTURING AS CHILDREN. POSITIVE PARENTING GOALS WERE TO CHANGE ATTITUDES, INCREASE KNOWLEDGE, PROVIDE SOCIAL SUPPORT, AND PROVIDE A PROBLEMSOLVING AND NURTURING EXPERIENCE FOR THE PARENTS. OPEN-ENDED GROUPS MET 2 HOURS WEEKLY FOR SOCIALIZING, EDUCATION, AND SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS. IN THE PRESENT EVALUATION, CROSS-SECTIONAL TESTS WERE GIVEN TO OVER 100 PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AS WELL AS TO A RANDOM SAMPLE FROM FROM ALL CASES REPORTED TO THE COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE EVALUATION AIMED TO MEASURE ONLY THREE OF THE GOALS: ATTITUDE CHANGE, KNOWLEDGE INCREASE, AND PROVISION OF SOCIAL SUPPORT. RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE TREATMENT PROGRAM WAS SUCCESSFUL. ON THE PRETEST, MOST OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND CONTROLS WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT AT THE .05 LEVEL, WHILE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONTROLS AND FIRST-TIME PARTICIPANTS WERE GENERALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT. ON THE POSTTEST, THE CONTROLS HAD MADE LITTLE CHANGE, WHILE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WAS FOUND IN PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS ALSO SHOWED THAT LONG-TERM ATTENTION TO PROBLEMS WAS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENT IN THE PARENTS. RESULTS IMPLIED THAT EVALUATION OF OUTCOME GOALS OF SUCH PROGRAMS IS POSSIBLE, THAT EVALUATION OF MORE SOPHISTICATED ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM MIGHT BE FRUITFUL, AND THAT A FOLLOWUP LONGITUDINAL STUDY IS NEEDED. THEY SUGGESTED THAT HUMAN SERVICE PROGRAMS SHOULD NOT BECOME SO INSTITUTIONALIZED AS TO PREVENT DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS AND THAT THE RECENT TREND TOWARD SHORT-TERM, PROBLEMSOLVING THERAPY SHOULD BE EVALUATED. TABLES, FIGURES, AND FOOTNOTES WHICH INCLUDE REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.