Child and Adolescent Violence Research at NIH

curriculum has been evaluated using students in both regular education and special education classrooms. Students who received the PATHS curriculum demonstrated better knowledge of emotions than children who did not receive the curriculum. This emotional knowledge is thought to underlie the development of necessary social skills such as friendship development and maintenance, anger management, conflict resolution, and appropriate problem solving.

Development of Depression NIMH research is investigating promising and successful interventions to prevent and treat adolescent depression, which often coexists with conduct problemsSa combustible mix that can result in violence, both against self and others. Several NIMH projects focus on determining whether cognitive therapy techniques that have been found to be effective for treating depression in adults can be applied to prevent depression in adolescents. Such research tests, among other things, the effects of after-school programs, which are based on cognitive therapy and social problem-solving techniques and delivered by school staff. Findings from this type of research are mixed, with more intensive interventions appearing to have at least initial effects of reducing or preventing depressive symptoms. Additional work is needed to determine the optimal length and intensity of interventions as well as approaches for sustaining their effects.

For example, the Coping with Stress Course was designed to prevent the onset of depressive disorders among adolescents who report high levels of depressive symptoms. With programs in Oregon, Maryland, and Ohio, this group course teaches adolescents cognitive skills to identify and challenge negative or irrational thoughts and beliefs that may contribute to the development of depression. Evaluation showed that the course was successful in reducing the number of cases of depressive disorder among adolescents at risk. In fact, twice as many students in the no-treatment group developed a depressive disorder than in the treatment group. Students in the treatment group also reported fewer depressive symptoms and better adjustment than students in the untreated group. However, with the passage of time, differences between the treatment and no-treatment groups decreased.

Other projects are testing the effects of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments for youth with depression (aged 12-17 years). Going beyond the effects of treatment on symptoms of depression, this research also focuses on the impact of the interventions on functioning in school, at home, and in the community.

Effective Interventions for Delinquent Youth It is important in evaluating interventions for delinquents to document what has not worked, as well as what has. For example, group-home approaches that pool

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