NCJ Number
214554
Journal
The Annals Volume: 587 Dated: May 2003 Pages: 84-109
Date Published
May 2003
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article reports on a meta-analysis that examined evaluations of programs that used social skills training as a means of preventing antisocial behavior in children and youth.
Abstract
The meta-analysis, which included only evaluations based on randomized control-group designs, found a positive overall effect on children's and youths' antisocial behavior after they received social skills training. Well-implemented, cognitive-behavioral programs that targeted high-risk youth who already exhibited some behavioral problems were particularly effective. Although such programs can be recommended to policymakers, most findings are based on small samples, behavior rating of outcomes, and relatively short follow-up periods after completion of the interventions. More well-controlled experiments with larger samples, precise outcome criteria, and long-term follow-up periods are needed. The meta-analysis involved 84 evaluation research reports that met the methodological requirements for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The studies involved 16,723 children and youth, with 52.3 percent of these belonging to treatment groups and the remainder to control groups. Since a number of studies contained more than one treatment or control group or separate analyses for children and adolescents or boys and girls, the final database for the meta-analysis was 135 treatment-group versus control-group comparisons. 1 figure, 3 tables, appended list of studies in the analysis and 63 references