TY - JOUR

T1 - Effectiveness of a social problem solving training in youth in detention or on probation

T2 - An RCT and pre-post community implementation

AU - Hein, Sascha

AU - Weeland, Joyce

AU - Square, Amanda

AU - Haeffel, Gerald J.

AU - Chapman, John

AU - Macomber, Donna

AU - Lee, Maria

AU - Foley Geib, Catherine

AU - Grigorenko, Elena L.

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - The effectiveness of a 10-session social problem-solving training (SPST) was evaluated in two independent studies in a juvenile justice (JJ) setting. In both studies, we aimed to examine main intervention effects on social problem-solving skills and recidivism, as well as differential effects as modulated by anger, anger regulation, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the COMT gene. In Study 1, a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 289 male detainees (Mage= 14.95 years) were randomly assigned to SPST or treatment-as-usual (TAU). In Study 2, a pre-post community implementation, 187 youth (Mage = 16.03 years) on probation were assessed before and after SPST. No significant main effects of SPST on social problem solving or recidivism were shown in either study. With regard to differential effects, among youth in detention,COMT haplotypes predicted intervention effects on state anger. Moreover, independent of SPST, inward anger expression was associated with an increase in state anger from pre- to post and an increase in state anger with a decrease in social problem solving. Among youth on probation, COMT haplotypes predicted social problem-solving skills, and, in turn, an increase in social problem-solving skills decreased the odds of recidivism after SPST. The lack of main effects of SPST may be due to low program integrity in JJ settings. Juveniles' emotional and genetic characteristics might modulate the effectiveness of interventions in JJ settings. We recommend studying large samples to substantiate this observation.

AB - The effectiveness of a 10-session social problem-solving training (SPST) was evaluated in two independent studies in a juvenile justice (JJ) setting. In both studies, we aimed to examine main intervention effects on social problem-solving skills and recidivism, as well as differential effects as modulated by anger, anger regulation, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the COMT gene. In Study 1, a randomized controlled trial (RCT), 289 male detainees (Mage= 14.95 years) were randomly assigned to SPST or treatment-as-usual (TAU). In Study 2, a pre-post community implementation, 187 youth (Mage = 16.03 years) on probation were assessed before and after SPST. No significant main effects of SPST on social problem solving or recidivism were shown in either study. With regard to differential effects, among youth in detention,COMT haplotypes predicted intervention effects on state anger. Moreover, independent of SPST, inward anger expression was associated with an increase in state anger from pre- to post and an increase in state anger with a decrease in social problem solving. Among youth on probation, COMT haplotypes predicted social problem-solving skills, and, in turn, an increase in social problem-solving skills decreased the odds of recidivism after SPST. The lack of main effects of SPST may be due to low program integrity in JJ settings. Juveniles' emotional and genetic characteristics might modulate the effectiveness of interventions in JJ settings. We recommend studying large samples to substantiate this observation.

KW - Anger

KW - Candidate gene-by-intervention effects

KW - Juvenile justice involved youth

KW - RCT

KW - Social problem solving

KW - FIT INDEXES

KW - METAANALYSIS

KW - JUVENILE-OFFENDERS

KW - INFORMATION

KW - SCHIZOPHRENIA

KW - POLYMORPHISMS

KW - GENE

KW - O-METHYLTRANSFERASE COMT

KW - PROGRAMS

KW - INTERVENTION

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090016946&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/eb532d34-dd78-3a9c-bff7-8936f6b7424e/

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijlp.2020.101626

DO - 10.1016/j.ijlp.2020.101626

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85090016946

VL - 72

JO - International Journal of Law and Psychiatry

JF - International Journal of Law and Psychiatry

SN - 0160-2527

M1 - 101626

ER -