Early Primary Prevention of Conduct Problems

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DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): This Competing Continuation application requests funds to examine the long-term efficacy of a prevention program designed to ward off the development of conduct problems in preschoolers at high risk for antisocial behavior. Participants are considered high risk based on urban residence and the fact that an older sibling is a juvenile delinquent. The original study, "Early Primary Prevention of Conduct Problems" (1997-2002), examines the immediate and short-term effects of a family-based multimodal preventive intervention. The prevention program, based on social interaction learning theory, aims to improve parenting practices, parent-child interactions, and child social competence in young children, prior to school entry, in order to prevent the development of conduct problems that typically emerge and crystallize during elementary school. The proposed follow-up study aims to examine the development of conduct problems, social competence and school functioning in program participants, relative to controls, from second through fifth grade. Longitudinal evaluation of children?s behavior is crucial for documenting effects of the intervention on the prevention of conduct problems. To our knowledge, this is the only controlled trial of an intervention that specifically aims to prevent the development of conduct problems in poor, urban preschoolers at familial risk for conduct problems. The proposed follow-up will inform on short-lived versus sustained preventive effects.