The effects of the fast track preventive intervention on the development of conduct disorder across childhood

Abstract

The impact of the Fast Track intervention on externalizing disorders across childhood was examined. Eight hundred-ninety-one early-starting children (69% male; 51% African American) were randomly assigned by matched sets of schools to intervention or control conditions. The 10-year intervention addressed parent behavior-management, child social cognitive skills, reading, home visiting, mentoring, and classroom curricula. Outcomes included psychiatric diagnoses after grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 for conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and any externalizing disorder. Significant interaction effects between intervention and initial risk level indicated that intervention prevented the lifetime prevalence of all diagnoses, but only among those at highest initial risk, suggesting that targeted intervention can prevent externalizing disorders to promote the raising of healthy children.

Figure 1

Hypothesized developmental models of prevention.

Figure 2

Relation between initial severity of risk and lifetime prevalence of any externalizing disorder.

Figure 3

Cumulative rates of any externalizing diagnosis by either parent or child informant as a function of intervention among the highest risk group.