Students' perceptions of the acceptability of behaviour management techniques

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the perceptions of dental students of the acceptability of different forms of behaviour management for children. The effect of client characteristics (typically developing or learning disabled), intervention method (relaxation training and reinforcement or physical restraint) and treatment outcome (good or poor) on acceptability ratings made by fourth year dental students was determined. Students rated the acceptability of treatments on the basis of written vignettes using a standardized measure of the acceptability of behavioural treatments (the Treatment Evaluation Inventory, TEI, Kazdin, French and Sherick 1981). The study had a full factorial design; all possible combinations of variables were represented in the vignettes. The results were analysed using ANOVA models. There were significant main effects of intervention method and treatment outcome, indicating that less restrictive methods and good intervention outcome were rated as more acceptable. Significant two- and three-way interactions were found, which suggested that the use of restrictive methods may be perceived as more acceptable for a child with learning disabilities even when the outcome was poor. The second order interactions revealed that the acceptability of restrictive techniques was improved less markedly by a good outcome. This study highlights the importance of empirically evaluating outcome and treatment restrictiveness when engaging in behaviour management during dental procedures.

First‐Year Students’ Perceptions About Pediatric Dental Behavior Guidance Techniques: The Effect of Education

“…6 A questionnaire rating pediatric behavior guidance techniques and clinical situations (see the Appendix) was developed by a professor of pediatric dentistry (EB) based on published descriptions of behavior guidance techniques in pediatric dentistry 2,6 and reports on the acceptability of behavior guidance techniques by students and parents. [3][4][5] The questionnaire was reviewed for content, bias, and the questions' adequacy to the goal by one of the authors (JR), who is a biostatistician and holds a Ph.D. in Clinical and Health Psychology. The questionnaire was administered once before and once after the course.…”

“…Previous studies described students' perceptions of the acceptability of behavior guidance techniques including sedation, which is generally viewed as less acceptable than reinforcement techniques. 3,4 However, these studies did not evaluate the effect of the educational process on the students' perceptions and whether those reflected reinforcement, reversal, or retention of their preconceived perceptions. While final grades may provide feedback on the students' knowledge and understanding of material at the end of a course, they do not reflect the influence of the educational process on the students' perceptions and, ultimately, their clinical philosophy.…”

Adaptação de um questionário de autoconfiança relacionado a situações-problema em Odontopediatria

“…A escolha e o uso de estratégias para obter a colaboração da criança dependem das informações a que o profissional teve acesso, principalmente durante a sua graduação, e, por isso, é importante que o curso de graduação aborde essas estratégias em um momento adequado para a formação do profissional. (Issáo & Guedes, 1999;Wright, 2000;Newton & Sturmey, 2003;Cardoso, Loureiro & Nelson-Filho, 2004).Tendo em vista a freqüência das situações de não--colaboração e a necessidade do profissional lidar com elas, considera-se necessária uma análise da avaliação, feita pelos próprios alunos de odontologia, em relação à sua percepção de habilidades para lidar com as questões relativas à colaboração de crianças durante o atendimento. Essa auto-avaliação permite uma reflexão sobre as condições em relação às quais os estudantes verbalizam dificuldades, apontando para aspectos a serem abordados em sua formação.…”

“…A escolha e o uso de estratégias para obter a colaboração da criança dependem das informações a que o profissional teve acesso, principalmente durante a sua graduação, e, por isso, é importante que o curso de graduação aborde essas estratégias em um momento adequado para a formação do profissional. (Issáo & Guedes, 1999;Wright, 2000;Newton & Sturmey, 2003;Cardoso, Loureiro & Nelson-Filho, 2004).…”

It is Time to Reduce and Safely Eliminate Restrictive Behavioural Practices

“…We may even take psychotropic medication to sedate ourselves and prevent undesirable behaviour under certain circumstances. Most people often view restrictive behavioural practices negatively, but not always: For example, some people report that they view restraint for dental treatment positively, if it is safe and effective and alternative strategies are unsafe and ineffective (Newton & Sturmey 2003; Newton et al. 2003).…”