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Evaluating process in child and family interventions: aggression prevention as an example
Patrick H Tolan1, Laura D Hanish, Mary M McKay
1Institute for Juvenile Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 South Wood Street, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. tolan@uic.edu
Summary
This study developed and validated measures for evaluating child and family interventions. The scales assess alliance, parenting skills, child cooperation, and behavior, proving effective in intervention process evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Child and Family Psychology
- Intervention Science
- Psychometric Evaluation
Background:
- Evaluating the process of child and family interventions is crucial for understanding treatment effectiveness.
- Existing measures may not adequately capture key aspects of intervention processes.
- There is a need for reliable and valid instruments to assess intervention dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a set of measures for evaluating child and family intervention processes.
- To identify key scales reflecting the therapeutic alliance, parenting, and child behavior.
- To demonstrate the construct validity and utility of these scales in intervention research.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted involving families attending outpatient clinics and preventive interventions.
- Factor analysis was used to identify and validate scales across multiple data sources.
- Scale construct validity was assessed through convergence, sensitivity to change, and discrimination of individual differences.
- Path analysis was employed to examine the scales' utility in explaining intervention processes.
Main Results:
- Five scales were identified: Alliance, Parenting Skill Attainment, Child Cooperation During Session, Child Prosocial Behavior, and Child Aggressive Behavior.
- The factor structure was replicated across studies, demonstrating reliability.
- Scales showed evidence of construct validity, including convergence, sensitivity to intervention effects, and ability to differentiate individuals.
- Path analysis confirmed the scales' usefulness in understanding intervention processes.
Conclusions:
- The developed measures provide a reliable and valid means for evaluating child and family intervention processes.
- These scales can be used to assess therapeutic alliance, parenting, and child behavior changes.
- The findings have significant implications for improving the methodology of intervention research and evaluation.