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Evidence summaries

Family and Parenting Interventions in Children and Adolescents with Conduct Disorder and Delinquency Aged 10-17

Family and parenting interventions in children and adolescents with conduct disorder and delinquency appeared to reduce the time spent in institutions and the risk of being arrested. Level of evidence: "B"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included 8 studies with a total of 749 children and their families. In seven studies the adolescents were juvenile delinquents and in only one the participants had conduct disorder but no contact yet with juvenile justice system.

Family and parenting interventions significantly reduced the time spent by juvenile delinquents in institutions (WMD 51 days, 95% CI 72 to 30 days). There was also a significant reduction in the risk of juvenile delinquent being arrested and in their rate of subsequent arrest at 1-3 years, but the results were heterogeneous in these outcomes. No significant differences were noticed in the risk of being incarcerated and psychosocial outcomes, such as family functioning, and child/adolescent behaviour.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency of results.

    References

    • Woolfenden SR, Williams K, Peat J. Family and parenting interventions in children and adolescents with conduct disorder and delinquency aged 10-17. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2001;(2):CD003015. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords