Maintaining the treatment effects of parent training: The role of booster sessions and other maintenance strategies.

In light of the persistent nature of conduct problem behavior in children, and its enormous cost to families and society, the importance of developing effective interventions that foster lasting changes is discussed. Parent-management training (PMT) and studies of its associated long-term gains are reviewed. Although studies have demonstrated short-term gains for PMT, evidence for the long-term maintenance of treatment gains is limited. Strategies designed to promote the maintenance of treatment gains are drawn from both the adult and child treatment literature and applied to parent training. The need to reduce dropout and to examine the content and timing of booster sessions using randomized control group designs is emphasized. Future research must address the course of children's conduct problem behaviors, as well as the behaviors of parents and others (e.g., peers, teachers) who influence the child following treatment.