Neurodevelopmental Predictors of Coping Power Treatment Outcome for Youth with Conduct Problems

PRESENTATION TYPE: Individual Paper

CATEGORY/THEME: Dissemination and Implementation Science

TITLE: Neurodevelopmental Predictors of Coping Power Treatment Outcome for Youth with Conduct Problems

ABSTRACT BODY:

Introduction: Conduct problems (e.g., aggression, disruptive behaviors) are associated with social-cognitive and neuropsychological deficits (Matthys et al., 2012) and numerous impairing outcomes (Tremblay, 2000); thus, prevention of conduct problems is an important goal. Coping Power (CP) is an efficacious preventive intervention for youth conduct problems (Lochman et al., 2003). Neurodevelopmental predictors such as impulsivity, risk-taking, and poor emotion recognition (ER) may attenuate prevention outcomes (Fishbein et al., 2006), but research is wanting. Thus, the present study examined neurodevelopmental predictors of CP outcomes.

Methods: Participants were 31 children (M=10.23 ± .50 years; 80.6% boys). Prior to CP, children completed (1) a computer-administered index of ER that presents faces with happy, fearful, sad, and angry emotional expressions, and asks the child to select which expression was displayed; and, (2) a continuous performance test involving Spiderman and his enemies, from which omissions and commissions were calculated. At pre- and post-intervention, parents (P) and teachers (T) reported on children’s aggression, conduct problems, social skills, and internalizing behaviors using their versions of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004). Teachers also completed the child aggression and social competence subscales from the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation (TOCA; Werthamer-Larsson et al., 1990). Multiple regressions were conducted to examine relations between neurodevelopmental variables and treatment outcomes, controlling for pre-intervention levels of the respective outcomes.

Results: Better ER for (a) “happy” predicted higher BASC-P social skills (β=0.26); (b) “sad” predicted higher BASC-T social skills (β=0.27) and internalizing problems (β=0.32); (c) “fearful” predicted higher TOCA aggression (β=0.40) and lower social competence (β=-0.43), and lower BASC-P social skills (β=-0.28); and, (d) “angry” predicted lower BASC-T conduct problems (β= -0.39). The number of (a) omissions predicted greater TOCA aggression (β=0.36); and, (b) commissions predicted greater BASC-P conduct problems (β=0.24).

Conclusions: Children who made greater errors in a sustained attention task exhibited greater aggression and conduct problems following treatment. Children who were better at recognizing happy expressions manifested greater social skills post-treatment. Better fear recognition predicted poorer aggression outcomes, whereas better anger recognition predicted more treatment benefits. Thus, screening for ER and attention variables can aid in predicting CP treatment outcomes and areas that could be augmented to improve outcomes among youth with different neurodevelopmental profiles.

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