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Biomedical subjects

A B Irvine

Publications and source records attributed to A B Irvine.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

The value of the Parenting Scale for measuring the discipline practices of parents of middle school children.

The psychometric properties of the Parenting Scale (Arnold, O'Leary, Wolff, and Acker, 1993), a 30-item instrument originally developed to assess the discipline practices of parents of preschool children, were examined for parents of middle school students. Subjects were 298 parents of middle school student identified as at-risk for problem behavior. An exploratory factor analysis identified two factors labeled 'Overreactivity' and 'Laxness', closely resembling two of the factors found by Arnold et al., but each of these factors contained only six items. Confirmatory factor analyses, using data from the first two assessments, replicated this factor structure. The factors were significantly correlated with measures of parents' behavior, with scales from the child Behavior Checklist and Parent Daily Reports, and with the Beck Depression Inventory. The Laxness factor was less robust than the Overreactivity factor.

Adolescent↗

The effectiveness of a parenting skills program for parents of middle school students in small communities.

This study provides evidence of the effectiveness of behaviorally based parenting skills classes provided by carefully trained and supervised group leaders who were not mental health clinicians. A program for parents of at-risk middle school students was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial in 8 small Oregon communities. Parents (N = 303) were randomly assigned to immediate treatment or a wait-list condition. Data were analyzed using latent growth modeling. Participation in the program led to significant improvements in problem-solving interactions as indicated by parent reports and a Taped Situations Test. Parents' over-reactivity and laxness toward their children's behavior were reduced and their feelings toward their children improved significantly as a function of treatment. Parent-reported child antisocial behavior was also reduced.

Adolescent↗

Measuring children's social skills using microcomputer-based videodisc assessment.

This article describes the development of a microcomputer-based videodisc assessment prototype for measuring children's social skills. The theoretical and empirical foundations for the content are described, and the contributions of interactive microcomputer-based video technology to assessment of children with handicaps are detailed. An application of Goldfried and D'Zurilla's "behavior-analytic" approach to development of the content of assessments is presented, and the related video and computer technology development is detailed. The article describes the conceptual foundations of the psychometrics of the assessment prototype as well as the psychometric methodology that was employed throughout the development process. Finally, a discussion of the potential applications and implications of the social skills assessment prototype is included.

Child↗