Alan E. Kazdin



John M. Musser Professor (Ph.D., 1970, Northwestern University)

Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic
President-Elect, American Psychological Association

Our clinical-research group studies developmental psychopathology and focuses on questions related to diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of childhood disorders, especially oppositional defiant and conduct disorder. We work with children referred for treatment oppositional, aggressive, and antisocial behavior including aggression, theft, truancy, and firesetting. We are interested in developing effective child- and family-based interventions to improve current child functioning and to controvert the poor long-term prognosis. Identifying effective treatments requires research designed to understand the nature and scope of child dysfunction, parent and family factors (e.g., stress, clinical dysfunction) that contribute to adjustment and contextual factors (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, domestic violence, quality of family life) in which child dysfunction may be embedded. We study child-rearing practices, parenting, and ways in which parenting can be altered to improve child functioning at home, at school, and in the community.

Our work focuses on psychotherapy more broadly by examining current child and adolescent treatment practices in use in the mental health professions, the clinical and research base of these practices, and the implications for mental health services. As part of this work, we have studied factors related to engaging children and families in treatment, risk factors associated with premature termination from treatment, and factors during treatment (e.g., parent expectations, therapeutic alliance,) that can be mobilized to improve clinical outcomes. Also, we are interested in bridging the hiatus of research and practice by increasing the clinical relevance of psychotherapy research and by developing methods of evaluation for clinical use.