Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2004-6
Validating the Construct of Coercion in Family Routines: Expanding the Unit of Analysis in Behavioral Assessment with Families of Children with Developmental Disabilities
We conducted an observational study of parent-child interaction in home activity settings (routines) of families raising young children with developmental disabilities and problem behavior. Our aim was to empirically investigate the construct validity of coercion in typical but unsuccessful family routines. The long-term goal was to develop an expanded ecological unit of analysis that may contribute to sustainable behavioral family intervention. Ten children with autism and/or mental retardation and their families participated. Videotaped observations were conducted in typical but unsuccessful home routines. Parent-child interaction in routines was coded in real time and sequential analyses were conducted to test hypotheses about coercive processes. Following observation, families were interviewed about the social validity of the construct. Results confirmed the presence of statistically significant, attention-driven coercive processes in routines in which parents were occupied with non-child-centered tasks. Results partially confirmed the presence of escape-driven coercive processes in routines in which parent demands are common. Additional analysis revealed an alternative pattern with greater magnitude. Family perspectives suggested the social validity of the construct. Results are discussed in terms of preliminary, partial evidence for coercive processes in routines of families of children with developmental disabilities. Implications for behavioral assessment and intervention design are discussed.
AlbinR. W.LucyshynJ. M.HornerR. H.FlanneryK. B. (1996). Contextual-fit for behavioral support plans: A model for “goodness-of-fit.” In KoegelL. K.KoegelR. L.DunlapG. (Eds.), Positive behavioral support: Including people with difficult behavior in the community (pp. 81–98). Baltimore: Brookes.
2.
AsplandH.GardnerF. (2003). Observational measures of parent-child interaction: An introductory review. Child and Adolescent Health, 8, 136–153.
3.
BakemanR.GottmanJ. M. (1997). Observing interaction: An introduction to sequential analysis (2d ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
4.
BakemanR.QueraV. (1995). Analyzing interaction: Sequential analysis with SDIS and GSEQ. New York: Cambridge University Press.
5.
BakemanR.QueraV. (2000). OTS: A program for converting Noldus Observer data files to SDIS file. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments and Computer., 32, 207–212.
6.
BernheimerL. P.KeoughB. K. (1995). Weaving interventions into the fabric of everyday life: An approach to family assessment. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 15, 415–433.
7.
BocciaM. L.RobertsJ. E. (2000). Behavior and autonomic nervous system function assessed via heart period measures: The case of hyperarousal in boys with fragile X syndrome. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments and Computers, 32, 5–10.
8.
BristolM. M.CohenD. J.CostelloE. J.DencklaM.EckbergT. J.KallenR. (1996). State of the science in autism: Report to the National Institute of Health. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 121–154.
9.
ByrneE. A.CunninghamC. C. (1985). The effects of mentally handicapped children on families: A conceptual review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 88, 125–138.
10.
CampisL.LymanR. D.Prentice-DunnS. (1986). The Parental Locus of Control Scale: Development and validation. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 15, 260–267.
11.
CarrE.DunlapG.HornerR.KoegelR.TurnbullA.SailorW. (2002). Positive behavior support: Evolution of an applied science. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 4, 4–16.
12.
CarrE. G.DurandV. M. (1985). Reducing of severe behavior problems in the community through a multicomponent intervention approach. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 157–172.
13.
CarrE. G.HornerR. H.TurnbullA.MarquisJ.Magito-McLaughlinD.McAteeM.SmithC. E.Anderson-RyanK. A.RuefM. B.DoolabhA. (1999). Positive behavior support for people with developmental disabilities: A research synthesis. Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation.
14.
CarrE. G.RobinsonS.PalumboL. W. (1990). The wrong issue: Aversive vs. nonaversive treatment. The right issue: Functional vs. nonfunctional treatment. In ReppA. C.SinghN. N. (Eds.), Perspectives on the use of nonaversive and aversive interventions for persons with developmental disabilities (pp. 361–380). Sycamore, IL: Sycamore Publishing Co.
15.
CarrE. G.TaylorJ. C.RobinsonS. (1991). The effects of severe problem behaviors in children on the teaching behavior of adults. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24, 523–535.
16.
ClarkeS.DunlapG.VaughnB. (1999). Family-centered, assessment-based intervention to improve behavior during an early morning routine. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 1, 235–241.
17.
CohenJ. (1977). Statistical analysis for the behavioral sciences (Rev. ed.). New York: Academic Press.
18.
DishionT. J.PattersonG. R.KavanaghK. (1992). An experimental test of the coercion model: Linking theory, measurement, and intervention. In McCordJ.TremblayR. (Eds.), The interaction of theory and practice: Experimental studies of intervention (pp. 253–282). New York: Guilford.
19.
EddyJ. M.LeveL. D.FagotB. I. (2001). Coercive family processes: A replication and extension of Patterson's Coercion Model. Aggressive Behavior, 27, 14–25.
20.
FeldmanM. A.CondillacR. A.ToughS.HuntS.GriffithsD. (2002). Effectiveness of community positive behavioral intervention for persons with developmental disabilities and severe problem behavior disorders. Behavior Therapy, 33, 377–398.
21.
FloydF. J.PhillippeK. A. (1993). Parental interactions with children with and without mental retardation: Behavior management, coerciveness, and positive exchanges. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 97, 673–684.
22.
FoxL.VaughnB. J.DunlapG.BucyM. (1997). Parent-professional partnership in behavioral support: A qualitative analysis of one family's experience. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 22, 198–207.
23.
FreemanR. L.HornerR. H.ReichleJ. (1999). Relation between heart rate and problem behavior. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 104, 330–345.
24.
GallimoreR.GoldenbergC. N.WeisnerT. S. (1993). The social construction and subjective reality of activity settings: Implications for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 537–559.
25.
GallimoreR.WeisnerT. S.KaufmanS. Z.BernheimerL. P. (1989). The social construction of ecocultural niches: Family accommodation of developmentally delayed children. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 94, 216–230.
26.
HeymanR. E.WeissR. L.EddyJ. M. (1995). Marital Interaction Coding System: Revision and empirical evaluation. Behavioral Research and Therapy, 33, 737–747.
27.
HornerR. H.VaughnB. J.DayH. M.ArdW. R. (1996). The relationship between setting events and problem behavior: Expanding our understanding of behavioral support. In KoegelL. KernKoegelR. L.DunlapG. (Eds.), Positive behavioral support: Including people with difficult behavior in the community. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
28.
Kiecolot-GlaserJ. K.GlaserR.CacioppoJ. T.MacCallumR. C.SnydersmithM.CheongtagK. (1997). Marital conflict in older adults: Endocrinological and immunological correlates. Psychsomatic Medicine, 59, 339–349.
29.
KoegelL. K.KoegelR. L.DunlapG. (Eds.). (1996). Positive behavioral support: Including people with difficult behavior in the community. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
30.
LloydB. H.AbidinR. R. (1984). Revision of parenting stress index. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 10, 169–177.
31.
LoeberR.FarringtonD. P.Stouthamer-LoeberM.Van KammenW. B. (1998). Multiple risk factors for multiple problem boys: Co-occurrence of delinquency, substance use, attention deficit, conduct problems, physical aggression, covert behavior, depressed mood, and shy/withdrawn behavior. In JessorR. (Ed.), New perspectives on adolescent risk behavior (pp. 90–149). New York: Cambridge University Press.
32.
LoeberR.GreenS. M.LaheyB. B.ChristM. A. G.FrickP. J. (1992). Developmental sequences in the age of onset of disruptive child behaviors. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1, 21–41.
33.
LucyshynJ. M.AlbinR. W.HornerR. H.MannJ.MannJ.WadsworthG. (2003 May). Family implementation of comprehensive positive behavior support: A longitudinal, single-case, experimental analysis. In LucyshynJ. M.AlbinR. W.VaughnB. J., Collaborative, single subject research on positive behavior support with families: Empirical considerations and demonstrations. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, San Francisco.
34.
LucyshynJ. M.AlbinR. W.NixonC. D. (1997). Embedding comprehensive behavioral support in family ecology: An experimental, single-case analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 241–251.
35.
LucyshynJ. M.HornerR. H.DunlapG.AlbinR. W.BenK. R. (2002). Positive behavior support with families. In LucyshynJ. M.DunlapG.AlbinR. W. (Eds.), Families and positive behavior support: Addressing problem behavior in family contexts (pp. 343). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
36.
LucyshynJ. M.KayserA. T.IrvinL. R.BlumbergE. R. (2002). Functional assessment and positive behavior support at home with families: Designing effective and contextually appropriate behavior support plans. In LucyshynJ. M.DunlapG.AlbinR. W. (Eds.), Families and positive behavior support: Addressing problem behavior in family contexts (pp. 97–132). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
37.
LucyshynJ. L.LavertyR.IrvinL. K.SpragueJ. R.HornerR. H.BlumbergE. R. (2000). Parent and Child Coding System. Unpublished manuscript, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR.
38.
McKinneyB.PetersonR. A. (1984). Review of parenting stress index. In KeyserD. J.SweetlandR. (Eds.). Test critiques (Vol. 1, pp. 504–510). Kansas City, MO: Test Corp. of America.
39.
McMahonR. J. (1994). Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of externalizing problems in children: The role of longitudinal data. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 901–917.
40.
MessickS. (1988). The once and future issues of validity: Assessing the meaning and consequences of measurement. In WainerH.BraunH. I. (Eds.), Test validity (pp. 33–45). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
41.
MoesD. R.FreaW. D. (2000). Using family context to inform intervention planning for the treatment of a child with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 40–46.
42.
NoldusL. P. J. J.TrienesR. J. H.HendriksenA. H. M.JansenH.JansenR. G. (2000). The Observer Video Pro: New software for the collection, management, and presentation of time-structured data from videotapes and digital media files. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments and Computers., 32, 197–206.
43.
O'DonnellC. R.TharpR. G. (1990). Community intervention guided by theoretical development. In BellackA. S.KazdinA. E. (Eds.), International handbook of behavior modification and therapy (2d ed., pp. 251–256). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
44.
O'NeillR. E.HornerR. H.AlbinR. W.SpragueJ. R.StoreyK.NewtonJ. S. (1997). Functional assessment and program development for problem behavior: A practical handbook. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
45.
OrrR. R.CameronS. J.DobsonL. A.MayD. M. (1993). Age-related changes in stress experienced by families with a child who has developmental disabilities. Mental Retardation, 31, 171–176.
46.
PattersonG. R. (1976). The aggressive child: Victim and architect of a coercive system. In MashE. J.HamerlynckL. A.HandyL. C. (Eds.), Behavior modification and families (pp. 267–316). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
47.
PattersonG. R. (1980). Mothers: The unacknowledged victims. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 45 [Serial No. 186], 1–64.
48.
PattersonG. R. (1982). Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia Publishing Co.
49.
PattersonG. R.BankL. (1989). Some amplifying mechanisms for pathologic processes in families. In GunnarM. R.ThelenE. (Eds.), Systems and development: The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology (Vol. 22, pp. 167–209). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
50.
PattersonG. R.ReidJ. B.DishionT. J. (1992). Antisocial boys. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
51.
QueraV.BakemanR. (2000). Quantification strategies for the analysis of behavior sequences. In ThompsonT.FelceD.SymonsF. (Eds.), Behavioral observation: Technology and applications in developmental disabilities (pp. 297–315). Baltimore: Brookes Publishing.
52.
ReidJ. B. (1978). A social learning approach, Vol. 2: Observation in home settings. Eugene, OR: Castalia Publishing Co.
53.
ReidJ. B.PattersonG. R.SnyderJ. J. (2002). Antisocial behavior in children and adolescents: A developmental analysis and the Oregon model for intervention. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
54.
ReppA.HornerR. H. (Eds.) (1999). Functional analysis of problem behavior: From effective assessment to effective support. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.
55.
SansburyL. L.WahlerR. G. (1992). Pathways to maladaptive parenting with mothers and their conduct disordered children. Behavior Modification, 16, 574–592.
56.
SarasonI. G.LevineH. M.BashamR. B.SarasonB. R. (1983). Assessing social support: The Social Support Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 127–139.
57.
SingerG. H. S.IrvinL. K. (1991). Supporting families of persons with severe disabilities: Emerging findings, practices, and questions. In MeyerL. H.PeckC. A.BrownL. (Eds.), Critical issues in the lives of people with severe disabilities (pp. 271–312). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
58.
SnellM. E.BrownF. (2000). Instruction of students with severe disabilities (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill-Prentice Hall.
59.
StormshakE. A.BiermanK. L.McMahonR. J.LenguaL. J., & The Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (2000). Parenting practices and child disruptive behavior problems in early elementary school. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 17–29.
60.
SummersJ. A.BehrS. K.TurnbullA. P. (1989). Positive adaptations and coping strengths of families who have children with disabilities. In SingerG. H. S.IrvinL. K. (Eds.). Support for caregiving families: Enabling positive adaptation to disability (pp. 27–40). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
61.
TurnbullA. P.RuefM. B. (1996). Family perspectives on problem behavior. Mental Retardation, 34, 280–293.
62.
VaughnB. J.ClarkeS.DunlapG. (1997). Assessment-based intervention for severe behavior problems in a natural family context. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30, 713–716.
63.
WatkinsM. W.PachecoM. (2000). Interobserver agreement in behavioral research: Importance and calculation. Journal of Behavioral Education, 10, 205–212.
