Acceptability of Treatments for Child Behavioral Disturbance

Abstract

Using a case description methodology, we examined the effects of problem severity, intervention type, and subject race on mothers' judgments of acceptability of three single component and four multiple component treatments for childhood externalizing behavioral disturbance. Results indicated that: (a) pharmacologic intervention was the least preferred treatment, (b) only behavioral treatments, either in isolation or in combination, were judged to be acceptable interventions, (c) the pairing of behavioral treatment with pharmacologic treatment resulted in unacceptable ratings, (d) treatment acceptability did not vary as a function of subject race or socioeconomic status, and (e) severity of externalizing behavioral symptomatology failed to significantly influence acceptability ratings. Implications of the data for the study of ecologically representative treatments are discussed.