SOFTWARE FOR GUIDING & ASSESSING FAMILY INTERACTION

BOARD GAMES DESIGNED TO TRAIN PARENTS, CHILDREN, AND MARRIED COUPLES IN PROBLEM-SOLVING, COMMUNICATION AND NEGOTIATION SKILLS HAVE BEEN FOUND EFFECTIVE AS THERAPEUTIC, PREVENTATIVE, AND BASIC INFORMATION GATHERING DEVICES. PHASE I OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT HAS THREE SPECIFIC AIMS: 1. DEVELOP THREE INTERACTIVE COMPUTER SOFTWARE PACKAGES THAT WILL RETAIN THE THERAPEUTIC VALUE OF THE ORIGINAL BOARD GAMES. 2. INCLUDE IN THESE PACKAGES THE CAPACITY FOR ON-LINE ASSESSMENT OF FAMILY PROBLEM SOLVING. 3. TEST THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE THREE PACKAGES IN THREE MULTIPLE-BASELINE SINGLE-CASE EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES WITH THREE GROUPS OF EIGHT DISTRESSED FAMILIES. THE LONG-TERM AIMS OF THE PROPOSAL ARE TO DEVELOP THREE SOFTWARE PACKAGES WHICH CAN BE USED AS A CENTRAL COMPONENT OF MARITAL OR FAMILY THERAPY WITH DISTRESSED FAMILIES, WHICH CAN BE USED FOR PREVENTION PURPOSES WITH HIGH-RISK FAMILIES AND FOR HEALTH-PROMOTION PURPOSES WITH NON-DISTRESSED FAMILIES. THE SOFTWARE WILL PERMIT ON-LINE CONTINUOUS RECORDING OF THE FLOW OF INTERACTION BETWEEN THERAPIST (SOFTWARE) AND GROUP, AND BETWEEN GROUP MEMBERS; THIS FEATURE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO BASIC KNOWLEDGE ABOUT MECHANISMS OF FAMILY PROBLEM SOLVING.