This study evaluated the effects of participation in a 3-year preventive intervention trial that targeted elementary school children with early-onset aggressive behavior.
The analyses indicated that program participants, compared with controls, showed greater gains in social skills, academic achievement, and parental discipline, with mean scores in the normative range on the latter two constructs. Participation in the Family Program, which included separate parent and child education in skills training groups, was associated with improved parent disciplinary practices and gains in child social skills, with level of child aggression moderating gains in academic achievement. Recommended level of FLEX family support contact time was associated with gains in academic achievement concentration problems and social skills, with parents of severely aggressive children showing greater reductions in distress. (publisher abstract modified)