This study attempted to validate psychodrama as a treatment for oppositional and defiant adolescents. Twenty-four high school students with conduct problems were randomly assigned to a psychodrama group or a waiting list control group. The treatment group received psychodrama therapy for 12 weeks. Personality and task performance tests were administered to the participants in both groups before and after treatment to estimate differences in impulsivity, empathy, and self-esteem. Parents' and teachers' rating scales were administered at the same two times to evaluate observable changes in the disruptive behaviours of the participants. Differences in the pre- and postmeasures within and between groups were analysed and the results demonstrated statistically significant interaction effects in impulsivity scores and oppositional ratings.

Thesis (Ph.D.). / Written for the Dept. of Educational and Counselling Psychology. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/08/04). Includes bibliographical references.

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Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is often present already at preschool age. Previous research has established the association between temperament and broad categories of behavioral disorders. However, no longitudinal research has studied the potential impact of temperament on changes in ODD symptoms in preschool and early school years. Two birth cohorts of 4-year olds living in the city of Trondheim, Norway, were screened for emotional and behavioral problems and a subsample oversampled for such problems was drawn to take part in the study; 82.1% consented. Parents of 1000 children were interviewed with the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, and ratings of children's temperament were provided using the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). Children were reassessed after 2 years (N = 797). The temperamental dimensions Surgency (SU) and Negative Affectivity (NA) were positively correlated with initial level of ODD symptoms, and predicted an increase in symptoms from age 4 to 6. High Effortful Control (EC) was associated with little ODD symptoms at age 4, but did not predict change in such symptoms. However, in interaction with NA, EC was associated with lower initial levels of ODD symptoms and predicted a decrease in symptoms from age 4 to 6. More precisely, the protective effect of EC was very strong for children high on NA but lower for children low to moderate on NA. The findings suggest that NA and SU function as risk factors whereas EC protects against ODD in young children. NA serves as a moderator of EC, in that among children high in NA, EC had a large protective effect, whereas among children with lower levels of NA, EC did protect to a lesser degree against ODD symptoms. Results of this study have theoretical implications linking temperament to ODD in preschoolers, and clinical applications utilizing temperament assessment to identify children at risk, prevent development of ODD and match treatment modalities to the child’s specific temperamental strengths and weaknesses.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) typically has been studied as a single dimensional construct but findings suggest that it may be better conceptualized as a disorder of multiple dimensions that reflect qualitative differences amongst symptoms. Although two- and three-factor models have been identified, emerging studies suggest that a two-dimensional model distinguishing emotional and behavioral symptom dimensions may best characterize the disorder. Emotional and behavioral symptom dimensions have demonstrated unique associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms and disorders, respectively, but correlates in other domains known to confer risk for ODD (e.g., child and contextual factors) have yet to be explored. Temperament and parenting are among many such factors robustly linked to ODD, but their associations with emotional and behavioral symptom dimensions specifically remain unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, the present study explored temperament (e.g., mood quality, approach) and parenting behaviors (e.g., acceptance, psychological control, and inconsistent discipline) as correlates of emotional and behavioral dimensions and considered whether parenting behaviors moderate the relation between temperament and ODD symptom dimensions. Participants included 775 youth (72% male, 76% Caucasian) and their biological parents. Temperament and parenting behaviors were assessed when youth were 10-12 years old (Time 1), and ODD symptoms were assessed when youth were 14-16 years old (Time 2). Regression analyses examined the main effects of temperament and parenting, as well as whether parenting behaviors moderate the relation between temperament and emotional and behavioral ODD symptom dimensions. Results indicated a significant main effect of parental acceptance in the prediction of both the emotional and behavioral symptom dimensions. Furthermore, parental psychological control factors emerged as moderators of the relation between temperamental approach and ODD behavioral symptoms; specifically, youth higher in approach exhibited fewer behavioral symptoms in the context of lower parental psychological control. The identification of risk processes associated with ODD symptom dimensions may help to elucidate etiological models and inform interventions that can target those factors most strongly related to each dimension. / Psychology

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), characterized by irritability and defiant behavior, is associated with several negative outcomes in childhood and adulthood (APA, 2000; Webster- Stratton, 1996). There are a variety of approaches to treating ODD that differ in their focus on parents, children, or both parent and child (Greene & Ablon, 2005; Kazdin, 2005). These treatments also target different underlying processes of oppositional behaviors, such as parenting behaviors and children's emotion regulation. Research suggests that parent emotion socialization practices may indirectly influence externalizing behaviors, such as those present in ODD, through children's emotion regulation abilities (Eisenberg, Cumberland, & Spinrad, 1998). The present study examines this mediation model in children diagnosed with ODD (n = 100; 58 boys) who received either Parent Management Training or Creative & Proactive Solutions. Findings indicate that families receiving CPS exhibited higher decreases in ODD symptoms than those receiving PMT. There was no evidence for an indirect effect of emotion socialization on symptoms of ODD through emotion regulation. Regarding direct effects, increases in emotion encouraging, emotion discouraging, and emotion regulation were associated with decreases in ODD symptoms, whereas increases in problem solving were associated with increases in ODD symptoms. There were also pre-treatment indicators of children's treatment response, such as parent's problem solving, children's emotional lability, and ADHD symptoms. These results indicate the importance of both emotion socialization and emotion regulation in treatment improvement, as well as factors that may contribute to treatment response. Treatment implications and future research directions are discussed. / Master of Science

The current study examined relations among perceptual bias, measured by comparing self performance ratings to those of an independent rater, and gender and comorbid Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Anxiety Disorder (ODD/AD) status in school-aged children with primary diagnoses of ODD. Specifically, perceptual bias of boys (N=61) and girls (N=39) with ODD with (N=43) and without comorbid AD (N=57) were examined after completing a problem solving activity with their parent(s). Measures of global functioning, executive functioning, and severity of the disorders were also examined. Based on previous findings, it was predicted that boys with ODD without AD would exhibit the greatest positive perceptual bias, followed by girls with ODD without AD, boys with ODD and AD, and, finally, girls with ODD and AD. No significant group differences emerged on the related dimensions of global functioning, executive functioning, or severity of behavioral problems. However, systematic differences in age, ADHD diagnosis, and intellectual ability were revealed among the groups, consequently they were controlled for in the final analyses. Overall, children in all groups displayed positive perceptual bias when compared to observer ratings. However, the main hypotheses were not supported. That is, children with ODD evaluated their performance higher than that of observers, independent of comorbid anxiety and gender, when controlling for the effects of age, ADHD, and intellectual ability. Implications and future directions in examining perceptual bias are discussed. / Master of Science

Thesis (D.Min.)--Liberty Theological Seminary and Graduate School, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Arthur Anastopoulos; submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-84).