Els Merlevede

Prevention of antisocial behaviour: Evaluation of an early intervention programme

The prognosis of children showing antisocial behaviour is not favourable. Longitudinal research shows a high level of stability of antisocial behaviour. The present study aims to evaluate an early intervention project to reduce antisocial behavioural problems in at-risk children (4 – 7 years). Parent Management Training (PMT) was chosen because it was evaluated as a promising intervention in previous research. The training is based on social learning principles and teaches parents to manage their childs behaviour through behaviour modification. Parents were randomly assigned to two conditions: an intervention condition (PMT; n = 34) and a waiting list condition (WL; n = 30). The PMT consists of 11 sessions spread over a 6-month period. Parents were trained in groups of 8 – 10 parents. A multi-method multi-informant methodology was designed to evaluate the programme. Measures were assessed before and after treatment and at 1-year follow-up. Both short- and long-term results revealed positive effects of the intervention with respect to the childs behaviour. In addition, parental stress reduced, whereas parental skills and mother – child interactions improved. However, no time by group interaction effects were found. Implementations and limitations of early intervention and prevention of antisocial behaviour are discussed.