Early Intervention Prevents Aggressive Children From Becoming Violent Adults

Early intervention prevents aggressive children from becoming violent or psychiatrically troubled adults, a new study has revealed.  

The collaborated study was based on the evaluation of the data retrieved from the Fast Track Project - the largest violence-prevention trail. The research of more than two decades showed that aggressive children were less likely to turn into violent criminals or psychiatrically troubled adults, only if they received early intervention.

This study was led by researchers at the University of Duke, Pennsylvania State, Vanderbilt and the University of Washington.

More than 10,000 children, aged 5 years, were screened in the beginning in 1991 for aggressive behavior problems, identifying those at greater risk of growing into violent, anti-social adults. Out of the total, 900 subjects were listed as high risk and of those - half was randomly divided to receive Fast Track Intervention and the other half was the control group. The subjects and their families received several interventions at school as well as home.

The Fast Track Children, from 1^st-10^th grade, received reading, tutoring and specialized intervention that was designed to enhance self-control and social cognitive skills. Through home visits and parent training groups, parents learnt problem solving skills.

After 19 years, when the subjects reached 25 years, the researchers checked for court records and interviewed participants as well as the control group. They noticed that the Fast Track participants had fewer convictions for violent and drug-related crimes, lower rate of substance abuse and sexual behaviour, and less psychiatric problems, as compared to the control group.

"We can prevent serious violence and psychopathology among the group of children who are highest-risk," said Duke's Kenneth Dodge. "That's the essential finding from this study. It provides the strongest evidence yet that, far from being doomed from an early age, at-risk children can be helped to live productive lives."

The Fast Track participants not only had fewer criminal convictions, they also had fewer rate of antisocial personality disorder and avoidant personality disorder.

"This study adds to the experimental evidence for the important role that environment plays," Dodge said. "Genes do not write an inalterable script for a child's life. And not only does the environment matter greatly in a child's development, we've shown that you can intervene and help that child succeed in life."

The study appears in the American Journal of psychiatry.