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This literature review by Friedrich Losel and Andreas Beelmann examines the impact of child skills training programs in preventing antisocial behavior. The study assesses the effectiveness of such programs, provides insights for implementation, and offers recommendations for practice, policy, and further research. The review includes studies up to the year 2000, focusing on evaluations of social training interventions for children and youth. Approximately 84 studies met the eligibility criteria, involving 135 treatment/control group comparisons. The results suggest that cognitive-behavioral programs targeting high-risk youth have a positive but modest effect in reducing antisocial behavior. However, there are challenges related to study design, sample sizes, and potential confounders that need to be addressed in future research.
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Effects of Child Skills Training in Preventing Antisocial Behavior By: Friedrich Losel & Andreas Beelmann Angelique Marshall Radford University
Purpose To analyze the preventive effects of child skills training on antisocial behavior and related outcomes. • provide a basis for a differentiated evaluation of the preventive potential of child skills training • permit conclusions on the practical implementation of such programs • offer perspectives for practice, policy making, and research
Literature Review • All retrievable published or unpublished reports in the English or German Languages that had appeared no later than 2000 • Methods • Electronic Sources- keywords…Prevention; antisocial behavior; social skills training; evaluation; meta-analysis; childhood and adolescence • Psyc-Info • Medline • Eric • Dissertation Abstracts
Literature Review • References given in existing reviews were checked systematically • References given already identified primary studies were analyzed for further relevant publications • Studies • Approximately 851 found • 84 met eligibility criteria that included 135 treatment/control group comparisons
Studies to Include • Must contain an evaluation specifically addressing a social training program for the prevention of antisocial behavior in children and youth • Randomized control group design • Pre-intervention and post-intervention data had to be available • Age: zero to eighteen years • Focus on prevention • Outcome measures: data had to be reported in sufficient detail to permit an adequate computation
Potential ModeratorsIndependent Variables • Publication year • Sample size • Type of randomization • Type of treatment • Trainers • Age • Type of prevention
Potential ModeratorsDependent Variables • Experimental design: treatment and control group • Specifically addressing a social training program for prevention of anti-social behavior • Post-intervention measurements • Follow-up measurements
Results for Independent Variable Moderators • Low sample size in many of the studies • Performed multiple significance testing without alpha adjustments • Some effects are based on only a few studies • Random model is not very sensitive for moderator effects • Moderators are to some extent confounded
Conclusion • Studies demonstrate a positive overall effect that is small but robust • Cognitive-behavioral programs targeting high-risk youngsters who already exhibit some behavioral problems seem to be particularly effective.