Prevention Works

A recent report titled Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People:  Progress and Possibilities* (National Academies Press, 2009) suggests that preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among children and adoescents shoud be a national priority. 

Research has shown that early evidence-based intervention with children improves the lives of children, and consequently, the lives of the next generation.  Some of the prevention efforts described in this report targeted young people who are already at risk of developing disorders - such as adolescents at risk for depression.  Long-term effects of intervention included lowering the risks of suicidality and alcohol and drug abuse.  Intervention also reduced the chances that aggressive boys later received diagnoses of antisocial personality disorder as grown ups. 

Interestingly, some of the interventions were focused on parenting strategies rather than on children directly, and were shown to have lasting effects on children, reducing their aggressiveness and lack of cooperation. 

*The full report is available at www.nap.edu.

Source:  American Psychological Association Monitor on Psychology, Volume 40, No. 8, September 2009.