Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Parent–Child Synchrony in Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Associations with Treatment Outcomes

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Child and Family Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), characterized by angry/irritable mood, and argumentative/defiant behavior, is associated with significant negative outcomes in childhood and beyond. Researchers posit that these behaviors arise from poor parenting and/or an incompatibility between characteristics of the child and the child’s parents, resulting in strained interaction styles. The present study examines parent–child synchrony, the inverse of parent–child incompatibility as a predictor of children’s emotional lability, aggression, and overall functioning following psychosocial treatment. Participants were 75 treatment-seeking families with children diagnosed with ODD (46 boys). Families received one of two empirically supported treatments for ODD (Parent Management Training or Collaborative and Proactive Solutions). Findings indicated that pre-treatment parent–child synchrony was associated with decreased emotional lability and aggression following both treatments, as well as improvement in overall functioning, irrespective of treatment condition. These results reflect the importance of parent–child relations at the onset of treatment in predicting response to treatment and suggest potential treatment targets within parent–child relationships.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aebi, M., Müller, U. C., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T., Buitelaar, J., Ebstein, R., et al. (2010). Predictability of oppositional defiant disorder and symptom dimensions in children and adolescents with ADHD combined type. Psychological Medicine, 40, 2089–2100.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, S. R., & Ollendick, T. H. (2012). Diagnosing oppositional defiant disorder using the anxiety disorders interview schedule for DSM-IV: Parent version and the diagnostic interview schedule for children. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 34, 467–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker, J. K., Fenning, R. M., & Crnic, K. A. (2011). Emotion socialization by mothers and fathers: Coherence among behaviors and associations with parent attitudes and children’s social competence. Social Development, 20, 412–430.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Barber, J. G., Bolitho, F., & Bertrand, L. (2001). Parent–child synchrony and adolescent adjustment. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 18, 51–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barkely, R. A. (1997). Defiant children: A clinician’s manual for parent training (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biederman, J., Petty, C. R., Dolan, C., Hughes, S., Mick, E., Monuteaux, M. C., & Faraone, S. V. (2008). The long-term longitudinal course of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder in ADHD boys: Findings from a controlled 10-year prospective longitudinal follow-up study. Psychological Medicine, 38, 1027–1036.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bird, H. R., Canino, G., Rubio-Stipec, M., & Ribera, J. C. (1987). Further measures of the psychometric properties of the Children’s Global Assessment Scale. Archives of General Psychiatry, 44, 821–824.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C., Schaeffer, C., Petras, H., & Ialongo, N. (2010). Predicting negative life outcomes from early aggressive-disruptive behavior trajectories: Gender differences in maladaptation across life domains. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 953–966.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, J. D., Loeber, R., & Birmaher, B. (2002). Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: A review of the past 10 years, part II. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 1275–1293.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cassano, M. C., & Zeman, J. L. (2010). Parental socialization of sadness regulation in middle childhood: The role of expectations and gender. Developmental Psychology, 46, 1214.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chess, S., & Thomas, A. (1977). Temperamental individuality from childhood to adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 16, 218–226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deater-Deckard, K., & Petrill, S. A. (2004). Parent–child dyadic mutuality and child behavior problems: An investigation of gene–environment processes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 4, 1171–1179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doyle, A., Ostrander, R., Skare, S., Crosby, R. D., & August, G. J. (1997). Convergent and criterion-related validity of the behavior assessment system for children–parent rating scale. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 276–284.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eyberg, S. M., & Bussing, R. (2010). Parent–child interaction therapy for preschool children with conduct problems. In R. C. Murrihy, A. D. Kidman, & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Clinical handbook of assessing and treating conduct problems in youth (pp. 139–162). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman, J., & Kazdin, A. E. (1995). Parent management training for oppositional and conduct problem children. The Clinical Psychologist, 48, 3–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, B., Shirk, S., Hanze, D., & Wanstrath, J. (1994). The children’s global assessment scale in clinical practice: An empirical evaluation. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 1158–1164.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, R. W. (2011). Collaborative problem solving. In R. C. Murrihy, A. D. Kidman, & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Clinical handbook of assessing and treating conduct problems in youth (pp. 193–220). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, R. W., Ablon, J. S., Goring, J. C., Raezer-Blakely, L., Markey, J., Monuteaux, M., et al. (2004). Effectiveness of collaborative problem solving in affectively dysregulated children with oppositional-defiant disorder: Initial findings. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 1157–1164.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, R. W., & Doyle, A. E. (1999). Toward a transactional conceptualization of oppositional defiant disorder: Implications for assessment and treatment. Clinical and Family Psychology Review, 2, 129–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, S., & Armando, J. (2008). Oppositional defiant disorder. American Family Physician, 78, 861–866.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Im-Bolter, N., Anam, M., & Cohen, N. J. (2015). Mother–child synchrony and child problem behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24, 1876–1885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazdin, A. E. (2005). Parent management training: Treatment for oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S., & Kochanska, G. (2012). Child temperament moderates effects of parent–child mutuality on self-regulation: A relationship-based path for emotionally negative infants. Child Development, 83, 1275–1289.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Koren-Karie, N., Oppenheim, D., Haimovich, Z., & Etzion- Carasso, A. (2003). Dialogues of seven-year-olds with their mothers about emotional events: Development of a typology. In R. N. Emde, D. P. Wolf, & D. Oppenheim (Eds.), Revealing the inner worlds of young children: The MacArthur story stem battery and parent–child narratives (pp. 338–354). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lahey, B. B., Schwab-Stone, M., Goodman, S. H., Waldman, I. D., Canino, G., Rathouz, P. J., et al. (2000). Age and gender differences in oppositional behavior and conduct problems: A cross-sectional household study of middle childhood and adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 488–503.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laible, D. (2011). Does it matter if preschool children and mothers discuss positive vs. negative events during reminiscing? Links with mother-reported attachment, family emotional climate, and socioemotional development. Social Development, 20, 394–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laible, D., & Song, J. (2006). Constructing emotional and relational understanding: The role of affect and mother-child discourse. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52, 44–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindsey, E. W., Colwell, M. J., Frabutt, J. M., Chambers, J. C., & MacKinnon-Lewis, C. (2008). Mother-child dyadic synchrony in European American and African American families during early adolescence: Relations with self-esteem and prosocial behavior. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54, 289–315. doi:10.1353/mpq.0.0003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindsey, E. W., Mize, J., & Pettit, G. S. (1997). Mutuality in parent–child play: Consequences for children’s peer competence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 14, 523–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., Burke, J. D., & Pardini, D. A. (2009). Development and etiology of disruptive and delinquent behavior. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 5, 291–310.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lunkenheimer, E. S., Shields, A. M., & Cortina, K. S. (2007). Parental emotion coaching and dismissing in family interaction. Social Development, 16, 232–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMahon, R. J., Long, N., & Forehand, R. L. (2011). Parent training for the treatment of oppositional behavior in young children: Helping the noncompliant child. In R. C. Murrihy, A. D. Kidman, & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Clinical handbook of assessing and treating conduct problems in youth (pp. 163–191). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, A. S., Silk, J. S., Steinberg, L., Myers, S. S., & Robinson, L. R. (2007). The role of the family context in the development of emotion regulation. Social Development, 16, 361–388.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Murrihy, R. C., Kidman, A. D., & Ollendick, T. H. (2010). Clinical handbook of assessing and treating conduct problems in youth. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nock, M. K., Kazdin, A. E., Hirpi, E., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). Lifetime prevalence, correlates, and persistence of oppositional defiant disorder: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 703–713.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ollendick, T. H., Greene, R. W., Austin, K. E., Fraire, M. G., Halldorsdottir, T., Allen, K. B., et al. (2015). Parent management training and collaborative & proactive solutions: A randomized control trial for oppositional youth. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 9, 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2004). BASC-2: Behavior assessment system for children. Circle Pines, MN: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., Kamphaus, R. W., & Vannest, K. J. (2011). Behavior assessment system for children (BASC). In J. Kreutzer, J. DeLuca, & B. Caplan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of clinical neuropsychology (pp. 366–371). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sameroff, A. J., & Seifer, R. (1983). Familial risk and child competence. Child Development, 54, 1254–1268.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaffer, D., Gould, M. S., Brasic, J., Ambrosini, P., Fisher, P., & Bird, H. (1983). A children’s global assessment scale (CGAS). Archives of General Psychiatry, 40, 1228–1231.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shields, A., & Cicchetti, D. (1997). Emotion regulation among school-age children: The development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale. Developmental Psychology, 33, 906–916.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, W., & Albano, A. (1996). The anxiety disorders interview schedule for children-IV (child and parent versions). San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverman, W., Saavedra, L., & Pina, A. (2001). Test–retest reliability of anxiety symptoms and diagnoses with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV: Child and parent versions. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 937–944.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2012). Using multivariate statistics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • United States Census Bureau (2014). State and county quickfacts. Retrieved from: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51/51121.html.

  • Webster-Stratton, C., & Hammond, M. (1997). Treating children with early-onset conduct problems: A comparison of child and parent training interventions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 93–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Webster-Stratton, C. H., & Reid, M. J. (2011). The incredible years program for children from infancy to pre-adolescence: Prevention and treatment of behavior problems. In R. C. Murrihy, A. D. Kidman, & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Clinical handbook of assessing and treating conduct problems in youth (pp. 117–138). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, J., & Hammond, M. (2001). Social skills and problem-solving training for children with early-onset conduct problems: Who benefits? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 943–952.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Institute for Mental Health (Treatment of Oppositional Youth, R01 MH59308). The authors would like to extend special thanks to the families who participated in this research, the staff of the Child Study Center, and Social Development Lab.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA

    Rachel L. Miller-Slough, Julie C. Dunsmore, Thomas H. Ollendick & Ross W. Greene

Authors
  1. Rachel L. Miller-Slough
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julie C. Dunsmore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Thomas H. Ollendick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ross W. Greene
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel L. Miller-Slough.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Miller-Slough, R.L., Dunsmore, J.C., Ollendick, T.H. et al. Parent–Child Synchrony in Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder: Associations with Treatment Outcomes. J Child Fam Stud 25, 1880–1888 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0356-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0356-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation