Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1986

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Robert G. Wahler

Committee Members

Anne McIntyre, John Lounsbury, JoLynn Cunningham, Robert Kronick

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify sources of diagnostic information relevant to familial involvement in an adolescent day treatment program. General systems theory was used as an organizing conceptual framework to identify potentially relevant sources of such information. Three sources were thus considered: family interactions, social support, and socioeconomic status (SES). Families with an adolescent entering an adolescent day treatment program were recruited for participation. Their family interactions were assessed formally using the Card Sort Procedure (Reiss, 1981), social support was measured by the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (Barrera, 1981), and SES was determined according to the Four Factor Index of Social Status (Hollingshead, 1976).

The Card Sort Procedure was selected as a measure of family interaction because it met specified selection criteria. A shortcoming in previous research with this instrument was recognized in that it had been used only with middle- and upper-middle-class samples. The general applicability of this instrument therefore could not be assumed.

Two hypotheses were tested: The first was that the Card Sort Procedure would be a reliable measure of family interactions with a socioeconomically heterogeneous sample, and the second was that family interactions, social support, and SES would predict involvement in an adolescent day treatment program. The two measures of involvement used were attendance and a rating of the family's involvement according to the family's therapist. The results provide data supporting the general applicability of the Card Sort Procedure, but none of the predictor variables were found to be related to either of the criterion variables. Limitations in the criterion variables are discussed with the implication being that the failure to find a relationship between the predictor and criterion variables is most likely due to inadequacies in the methods for measuring involvement. The possibility of adequately measuring family interactions and the need for further systems-oriented research are discussed as implications of this research.

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