Q&A with Laurie Miller Brotman, Ph.D.
Corzine Family Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
NYU Child Study Center
Dr. Brotman's biosketch
Dr. Brotman’s study was the first of its kind to show that a nonmedical family intervention can “normalize” a child’s biological stress response. Young children in the study did not show the normal increase in levels of cortisol, a major stress hormone released by the adrenal gland, in anticipation of a socially stressful situation.
Q: Why is poor parenting one of the major risk factors for persistent antisocial behavior among young children?
A: A large body of research documents that specific aspects of parenting predict later antisocial behavior. These include inadvertently reinforcing misbehavior through attention or giving in, harsh parenting, lack of consequences for misbehavior, and limited reinforcement, through praise and attention, for positive behaviors.
Q: What was the nonmedical family intervention used in your study and how can it improve parenting skills?
A: We adapted an evidence-based program called the Incredible Years Series. In this study the family intervention included 22 groups for families and 10 home visits. The program introduces parents and children to new behavioral skills that promote positive behavior and reduce noncompliance and aggressive behavior. Parents learn, for example, to praise children’s social skills, and ignore and punish misbehavior. Children learn how to share, cooperate, and wait their turn.
Q: What is the significance of your new findings?
A: Early family intervention can change biological functioning in children at high risk for psychopathology.
Q: What have been some of the major findings from your ongoing studies of families that are impoverished, have low levels of education, and a child already in trouble with the law?
A: We have demonstrated that early family intervention can change parenting practices and child aggression over time. We have also shown that intervention effects influence older siblings, who become less antisocial after intervention.