University of Oklahoma Parenting Program Attrition

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Parenting Program Attrition and Compliance Efficacy Trial

The study will examine the extent to which a group motivational intervention (ME) impacts retention, treatment compliance, and long-term outcomes in families with a history of, or high risk for, child maltreatment.

The field of child abuse prevention faces not only the challenge of developing and disseminating effective treatments, but the problem of high attrition rates and treatment noncompliance. This study will compare the effects of a motivational intervention with a "services as usual" orientation group on program retention, treatment compliance, and long-term outcomes in families with histories of child maltreatment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Families referred to service agency for child maltreatment prevention services
• Families with children between 2-1/2 and 12 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• Parents with cognitive, psychiatric, or social conditions that would limit their ability to provide voluntary consent or benefit from the intervention
• Parents who have sexually abused their children