Are fathers necessary in parent training groups?

The parents of eighteen male conduct problem children were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. In one group, both mothers and fathers were taught behavioural child management techniques. In another group, only mothers participated, although fathers had shown a willingness to be involved. A waiting list control group was also established. The results revealed that with parents as reporters both treatment groups improved compared, to the control group. A significant improvement in behaviour for the treated groups was still evident at a four month follow-up. However, there were no significant changes in classroom behaviour in any of the groups, as rated by teachers. The results are discussed in terms of subject selection procedures, the need to program generalization and the difficulty in implementing certain interventions in clinical settings.