This paper examines the long-term effects of the PROSPER delivery system for universal evidence-based preventive interventions on adolescents with behavioral difficulties; it lays out the authors’ research methodology, outcomes, and analysis of the results.
The authors report long-term effects of the PROSPER delivery system for universal evidence-based preventive interventions on adolescent conduct problem behaviors (CPBs). A cluster randomized trial included 28 school districts assigned to PROSPER or a control condition. Community-based teams in PROSPER condition school districts selected evidence-based interventions—a family-focused intervention in sixth grade and a school-based intervention the next year; follow-up assessments were conducted through 12th grade. CPBs were measured with 12 self-report items derived from the National Youth Survey. Intervention-control differences were tested via a multi-level Zero-Inflated Poisson (ZIP) model. Differences were significant from ninth through 12th grades, and moderation analyses indicated stronger effects for early substance initiators. Findings suggest that the PROSPER delivery system has the potential to reduce CPBs in general populations. Publisher Abstract Provided