Impact and clinical significance of a preventive intervention for disruptive boys: 15-year follow-up

Abstract

Background: Many intervention programmes have attempted to reduce disruptive behaviour problems during early childhood to prevent maladjustment during adolescence and adulthood.

Aims: To assess the long-term impact and clinical significance of a 2-year multicomponent preventive intervention on criminal behaviour and academic achievement, using intention-to-treat analyses.

Method: Targeted disruptive-aggressive boys considered to be at risk of later criminality and low school achievement (n=250), identified from a community sample (n=895), were randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group. The rest of the sample (n=645) served as the low-risk group. The intervention was multimodal and aimed at boys, parents and teachers. Official data measured both outcomes.

Results: Significantly more boys in the intervention group (13%; P<0.05) completed high-school graduation and generally fewer (11%; P=0.06) had a criminal record compared with those allocated to the control group.

Conclusions: The results suggest that early preventive intervention for those at high risk of antisocial behaviour is likely to benefit both the individuals concerned and society.