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Pathways explaining the reduction of adult criminal behaviour by a randomized preventive intervention for disruptive kindergarten children
Author(s) -
Vitaro Frank,
Barker Edward D.,
Brendgen Mara,
Tremblay Richard E.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02517.x
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , psychology , psychological intervention , developmental psychology , randomized controlled trial , criminal behavior , juvenile delinquency , clinical psychology , young adult , suicide prevention , injury prevention , poison control , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , surgery , environmental health
Objective: This study aimed to identify the pathways through which a preventive intervention targeting young low‐SES disruptive boys could result in lower crime involvement during adulthood. Method: The preventive intervention was implemented when the children were between 7 and 9 years and included three components (i.e. social skills, parental practices, teacher support). Participants ( N = 250) were randomly allocated to the intervention or to a control group. The tested pathways included antisocial behaviour, school engagement, parental supervision and friends’ deviancy, both during early and middle adolescence. Crime involvement was assessed in early adulthood. Results: The intervention reduced adult criminal involvement via reduced early and middle adolescent antisocial behaviours. Conclusion: This study adds to the small group of studies that have examined the mechanisms through which early preventive interventions might impact distal outcomes.