Working with parents of aggressive preschoolers: an integrative approach to treatment.

In this article, we briefly review contributory factors within the child, parent-child interaction, and parents that have been put forward to explain the causes of aggressive problems in children. We then review various treatment approaches that have been used with this population and identify which component--the child, parent, or interaction--is targeted in each approach. A case example is provided to illustrate our perspective on treatment. We use a structured interview to categorize the mother's perceptions and subjective experience of her child and their relationship. Associations between the mother's perception of the relationship with her child, her parenting behavior, and the behavior of the child are discussed.