6-2 intervention

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4-2 Intervention Strategies

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4-2 Intervention Strategies

Treatment Recommendations for Conduct Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Family and Individual Approaches

Introduction

Conduct Disorder is one of the most serious behavior and emotional difficulties in children and teenagers, characterized by antisocial and defiant acts that are repetitive and persistent. Treatment for Conduct Disorder needs first and foremost to focus on the needs of the child as an individual but also, the entire family unit. In children with CD, the cultural, environmental, and familial factors are powerful determinants of their behavior; thus, such factors should be considered in the programs that are developed for treating the problem (Krynen, & Lambie, 2016). The paper below reviews some family and individual treatment models that have been constructed to address Conduct Disorder and further highlights the reasons for intervention on a model that it has addressed on a holistic approach.

Family Therapy Models

Family intervention constitutes an essential component of any successful intervention plan for Conduct Disorder. The importance of the family cannot be understated when thinking in terms of rewards, leading to positive behavior in the child or maintaining a proper environment that would allow the child decent development. Three interventions focus on the family as the main beneficiary of treatment: Family Therapy, based on Parent Management, and Multisystemic Therapy.

Family Therapy

Another fundamental strategy in treating Conduct Disorder is Family Therapy, which helps to improve the family dynamics that could be causing, or exacerbating, the child's problems. All members of the family are involved in changing certain problematic interaction patterns that will tend to lead to or maintain problem behaviors. Family therapy teaches parents and siblings how to communicate more effectively, handle disputes, and work together in support of the child's progress. As techniques especially effectual for helping a family readjust its relationships, identifying a role for each, and provided a more stable and nurturing environment, SFT methods have been highly effective(Rasheed,  & Marley, 2010). Family Therapy, by targeting these underlying problems, can indeed reduce the symptoms of the receiving child, but it can also empower the entire family so that it has the strength to defend against future threats.

Parent Management Training (PMT)

Parent Management Training is also an essential approach that empowers parents to learn skills in managing their child's behavior. It involves teaching parents how to use appropriate and consistent discipline strategies, how to reinforce positive behaviours, and how to set clear and appropriate limits and expectations. In children with Conduct Disorder, inconsistent parenting or the absence of rules at home can exacerbate the issues at hand. In this regard, PMT addresses this issue by teaching parents that children require consistency and structure in dealing with their bad behavior(Gomez, 2014). The training involves helping the parents learn to pinpoint and praise positive behaviors and reward them while enforcing effective consequences for negative behaviors. Consequently, PMT allows the parent to be an active agent in treating the child; thus, they will ensure that the offers that are obtained through the therapy are kept and granted at their homes.

Multisystemic Therapy (MST)

Multisystemic Therapy is an intensive, evidence-based treatment that is based on the child's entire ecosystems and systems ranging from the family, school, and community. MST has been especially successful with severe Conduct Disorder in children where out-of-home placement is likely to follow. No other approach to treatment service delivery provides as critical a combination of intensive, family-focused, home-based services that are designed to exactly fit the child and family's needs. The therapists assess with the family all factors that have contributed to the child's life—negative peer influences, academic problems, and/or family conflicts—that could be leading to the disturbing behavior. By addressing these problems in a child's everyday life matrix, MST is able to ensure lasting behavioral changes. Involvement of school and community resources still further enhances the effectiveness of MST by making sure that the child gets consistent help in all walks of life(Vanzin, & Mauri, 2019). This holistic approach makes MST an effective tool of management of Conduct Disorder and in the prevention of further escalation of behavioral problems.

Individual Treatment Options

Besides the family-based interventions, individual treatment options are also necessary to cater for the needs of the child with Conduct Disorder. Three of the most important individual treatment approaches that can help the children to adapt healthier behavior and coping strategies are Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, and Training in Social Skills

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment is one of the effective individual treatment approaches for conduct disorder in a child or adolescent. CBT works on the theory that the child only needs to become aware of negative thoughts that maintain his or her maladaptive behavior (Vanzin,  & Mauri, 2019).. Children identify the triggers for acting out or refusing to comply and develop new ways of responding more adaptively. It provides basic skills for emotional regulation, problem-solving, coping strategies, and thus can greatly reduce the incidence and severity of disruptive behaviors. CBT ensues individually or as a group by differentiating on the needs and preferences of the child. CBT in children with Conduct Disorder providers a structured environment in which new skills are practiced and immediate feedback is returned for meaningful behavior change.

Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral Therapy is another important module in an effective treatment plan for Conduct Disorder. It essentially works on changing the behavior of the child with the help of a reward punishment system. Behavioral Therapy is best suited to treat targeted behaviors like aggression, defiance, and rule-breaking. The treatment centers around the establishment of clear and specific expectations for behavior and consistent application regarding rewards for a proper choice of behaviors and consequences for poor behaviors(Trower, 2013). This consistency is vital to the child with Conduct Disorder because they have demonstrated to fare well in a properly controlled and predictable outcome environment. The Behavioral Therapy intervention is augmented with the Parent Management Training that solidifies or supports the strategies deployed in therapy.

Social Skills Training

Children with Conduct Disorder need Social Skills Training as they demonstrate deficiencies in peer relationships and social interaction areas. This form of therapy enables children to appropriately interact with others, control their feelings, and empathize. Better social skills are consequential to better peer relations and lessening the chances of conflict and aggression (Olson, & Beker, 2014). SST is generally provided within group settings, allowing for practice in the company of peers in a supportive environment. This will help the children of Conduct Disorder better negotiate their ways, and they will have more pleasing interactions, which eventually will lead to global behavioral amelioration.

Conclusion

Thus, effective treatment for children and adolescents diagnosed with Conduct Disorder should integrate family and individual interventions. Family Therapy, Parent Management Training, and Multisystemic Therapy aim to promote the family unit and are major sources of intervention with dynamics other than family that have a hand in controlling the child's problematic behavior. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, and Social Skills Training are directed towards the problems that exist in the child, the development of healthier means of coping and social interaction. The mixture of these treatments may allow treatment to work effectively in relation to addressing the very complicated factors surrounding Conduct Disorder and to attain better outcomes for both the child and his or her family. This integrated treatment plan addresses not only immediate behavioral issues but also supports long-term positive development for the child.

References

Bieling, P. J., McCabe, R. E., & Antony, M. M. (2022).  Cognitive-behavioral therapy in groups. Guilford Publications.

Gomez, D. (2014).  Parent management training in primary care: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary results.

Krynen, A., & Lambie, I. (2016). Intensive interventions for children and adolescents with conduct disorder.  Education.  https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0160

Olson, D., & Beker, J. (2014).  Family perspectives in child and youth services. Routledge

Rasheed, J. M., Rasheed, M. N., Rasheed, M. N., & Marley, J. A. (2010).  Family therapy: Models and techniques. SAGE.

Trower, P. (2013).  Radical approaches to social skills training (Psychology revivals). Routledge.

Vanzin, L., & Mauri, V. (2019). Treatment with children and adolescents.  Understanding Conduct Disorder and Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, 39-58.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429328145-3