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Subject: search.filters.subject.Conduct disorders in children

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    Characteristics of treatment completers and non-completers in a residential programme for severe conduct disorder : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology, Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Miller, Caroline
    The study centres on a long-term residential programme for the treatment of severe conduct disorder. A number of young people leave the programme before completion of treatment. The focus of the study is to examine existing data from psychometric tests to determine whether the data can provide material which delineates a completer profile and a non-completer profile. The data was originally collected as part of the assessment and diagnostic process for entry to the programme. All of the young people met criteria for a diagnosis of severe conduct disorder with early onset. Secondary data analysis was used, to delineate a profile of each group. Differences between the two groups were found in the areas of resilience factors, internalising and externalising characteristics, and comorbidity with a range of disorders. Comorbidity with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was particularly prevalent. As the data samples were small the current study is exploratory and descriptive, rather than predictive or inferential. Gender and ethnicity affect both the manifestation of conduct disorder and response to treatment. However, the small sample size did not allow separate analysis along gender or ethnic lines. Both of these areas warrant further research. Conduct disorder is a complex disorder, which affects every domain of the young person's life including family, individual development, educational achievement, peer relations, social relations, criminal history, and physical and mental health. Ecological models have explanatory utility in terms of aetiology, symptomatology, and treatment rationale covering all domains and are used as a framework for this study. This study reviews relevant literature, gives a brief outline of the specific programme, describes the method and results of the secondary analysis of the test data, and concludes with a discussion about the implications of the findings, and some suggestions for the design of further programmes and for future research in this area.
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    Multisystemic treatment (MST) of antisocial behaviour in youth : the role of the family in facilitating change : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2004) Curtis, Nicola Mary
    The current dissertation includes three studies that examined (a) the overall effectiveness of Multisystemic Treatment (MST) achieved in previous outcome studies, (b) the effectiveness of MST with antisocial youth in New Zealand, and (c) a range of variables and their ability to predict MST treatment outcomes. Study 1 adopted meta-analytic strategies to evaluate the overall effectiveness of MST in comparison to other treatment approaches or usual services in the treatment of antisocial behaviour in youth. The meta-analysis integrated the results from seven primary and four secondary MST outcome studies involving 708 participants. Results indicate that across different presenting problems and samples, the average effect of MST was d = 0.55; across both instrumental and ultimate outcome measures, youth and their families treated with MST were functioning better and offending less than 70% of their counterparts who received alternative treatment or services (Curtis et al., 2004). Study 2 used a one-group pre- to post-treatment design to evaluate the efficacy of MST in New Zealand with 65 antisocial youth and their families. Results show that significant pre- to post-treatment improvements occurred in many of the instrumental and ultimate indicators of treatment outcomes. Gains were either maintained at or evident by the 6- and 12-month follow-up intervals. Study 3 examined data collected from participants in Study 2 to explore a range of variables hypothesised to predict the effectiveness of MST in New Zealand. Results show that parent and youth stages of change were significantly related to improvements in ultimate outcomes (i.e., school attendance and decreased frequency and severity of offending behaviour) at post-treatment. With regard to decisional balance, parent perceptions of youth motivation and improved family relations (pros) were positively related to their youth's readiness to change. Findings related to therapist availability indicate evidence of a potential sleeper effect in that the benefits of therapist contacts during treatment appear not to have been fully realised until follow-up periods. No valid associations were found between adherence ratings and treatment outcomes. Implications of these results for the continued refinement and dissemination of MST are discussed.