title: Early elementary school intervention to reduce conduct problems: a randomized trial with Hispanic and non-Hispanic children.
abstract: Children's aggressive behavior and reading difficulties during early elementary school years are risk factors for adolescent problem behaviors such as delinquency, academic failure, and substance use. This study determined if a comprehensive intervention that was designed to address both of these risk factors could affect teacher, parent, and observer measures of internalizing and externalizing problems. European American (n = 116) and Hispanic (n = 168) children from 3 communities who were selected for aggressiveness or reading difficulties were randomly assigned to an intervention or no-intervention control condition. Intervention families received parent training, and their children received social behavior interventions and supplementary reading instruction over a 2-year period. At the end of intervention, playground observations showed that treated children displayed less negative social behavior than controls. At the end of a 1-year follow-up, treated children showed less teacher-rated internalizing and less parent-rated coercive and antisocial behavior than controls. The study's limitations and implications for prevention are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, USA. manuel.barrera@asu.edu
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barrera
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biglan
authors.forename: Ted K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Barbara K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Gunn
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smolkowski
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Dennis V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Ary
authors.forename: Rollen C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Fowler
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012951:Socialization; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology