This article reviews 70 articles that employed behavior modification principles to assist parents in dealing with their children. Methods of producing behavior change in parents are emphasized. This article reviews the applicability of this approach in mental health, the historical development of such training, the technological issues involved in carrying out parent training programs, and critically reviews the research and its adequacy in supporting such a technology. Conclusions from the review are presented.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

We evaluated the effectiveness of a manual to teach parents how to help their children overcome fear of the dark. The primary components of the package included desensitization, reinforcement, and verbal self-control statements. Six fearful children ages 3-11 and their parents participated. A multiple-baseline design across three pairs of matched subjects was used. Outcome measures consisted of the level of nighttime illumination voluntarily set by the child on a rheostat installed in the bedroom and the child's subjective rating of his or her fear level during the night. The data indicated that all children were sleeping all night with the rheostat set at criterion level or lower within 2 weeks after initiation of treatment, without any report of fear. Follow-up measures at 3, 6, and 12 months showed that all children maintained or improved on the reduced fear behaviors achieved during the treatment.