NCJ Number
223990
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior: A Review Journal Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: June-July 2008 Pages: 169-184
Date Published
June 2008
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article examines studies of programs designed to prevent symptoms of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders.
Abstract
The results of this review indicate that programs to alleviate symptoms of these disorders are having small, positive effects in the prevention of property violations, oppositional behavior, and aggression. In addition, studies relying on official records of schools, police, or courts demonstrate higher effect sizes than studies using parent, teacher, or self-reports. The article also discusses implications for the prevention of disruptive behavior disorders. It is noted that previous research has demonstrated that Oppositional Defiant (ODD) and Conduct Disorders (CD) cause significant hardship for the children and adolescents who manifest the disorders, their families and teachers, the victims of their crimes, and society through millions of dollars of public expense, and that many programs have been created to prevent youth from obtaining these poor outcomes. The review data was obtained through meta-analyses of 45 studies evaluating prevention programs for ODD and/or CD. The analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which programs were effective at least 6 months after the end of the intervention. The analysis investigated studies in peer-reviewed journals which included a control or comparison group, had at least 10 participants and included enough information to calculate an effect size. This meta-analysis was designed to test the effect of psychosocial--as opposed to medication--interventions for children and adolescents. Tables, references