Objective: To examine the applicability and outcome of parent management training in a group of Chinese children referred for aggressive and defiant behaviors.
Method: Twenty-five children (aged 4-10 years) were assigned to a standardized 8 to 12 sessions of parent management training. Trained child and adolescent psychiatric nurses conducted the treatment. Measures taken at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 4-month follow-up period included the Child Behavior Checklist, direct observation of parent-child interactions, and a parent perception inventory.
Results: Significant therapeutic gains occurred in parent-child interactions, externalizing behaviors, and parents' perception of their parenting behaviors. These were maintained at 4-month follow-up. Fifty-two percent of cases improved to a level below clinical cutoffs. Poor parent-child interactions had stronger correlation with externalizing disturbances than internalizing disturbances. The changes in parent-child interactions had low correlation with the changes in the symptom profiles.
Conclusions: The data provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of parent management training for Chinese children with conduct problems. The rationale for its success and modifications to improve its cultural sensitivity are discussed.