Evaluating Multiple Family Groups to Address the Behavioral Difficulties of Urban Children

Abstract

This article describes the use and evaluation of multiple family groups within a minority, inner-city clinic sample of children and families. Multiple family groups are described in terms of their application to this clinical population. This study used a single group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-weekmultiplefamily group meant to address the behavioral difficulties of 32 children. Change between preassessment and postassessment was measured using the Conners Parent Rating Scale, which consists of six subscales: anxiety, conduct, hyperactivity, impulsivity, learning, and somatization. Statistically significant improvements were observed on the conduct, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and learning subscales over the intervention period. These results point to the need for further controlled studies of the effectiveness of multiple family groups, particularly with inner-city children andfamilies.