Page 127 - Age of onset of disruptive behavior of residentially treated adolescents -Sjoukje de Boer

interventions initiated by the district teams. This is recommended, because research increasingly indicates that early detection of behavioral problems and subsequent
early intervention is important for preventing future aggressive behavior and antisocial behavior (Beauchaine et al., 2005; Houghton et al., 2017; Kazdin, 2016; Kolko et al.,
2009; Lochman & Salekin, 2003; Odgers et al., 2008). It has been found that the group
of children with conduct problems that is most aggressive and that is most likely to continue their antisocial behavior into adulthood, often begin with mild conduct problems very early in childhood (Eyberg et al., 2008; Frick, 2016). The results of
current thesis are in line with this finding (chapter 2). Also, children with untreated behavioral problems are more likely to drop out from school, engage in delinquent activities, drug and alcohol abuse and unemployment later in life (Lochman & Salekin, 7 2003; Odgers et al., 2008).
Interventions initiated by the district teams should address the needs of children and their parents in terms of content and intensity (Andrews & Bonta, 2010; Frick, 2016). Several interventions, aimed at the parents of these young children, have been proven effective in treating early emerging conduct problems (see e.g., Eyberg et al., 2008; Kazdin, 2016). Although it is certainly not the solution for all young children displaying disruptive behavior, it is important to intervene when children are young. It has for instance been found that the effectiveness of parenting programs is substantially reduced as the child grows older. Of course, there will always be children that do not respond to interventions.
Prevention of Dropout
The youngsters admitted to De Fjord often had a long history of previous (often unsuccessful) care. Admission to De Fjord is often considered as the last option for help within youth mental healthcare and also a last opportunity to finish school. For adolescents, their parents as well as for the therapists involved, the importance of staying aboard was considerable. Treatment certainly does not catch on with all adolescents with disruptive behavior (chapter 4), however, it is important to limit dropout to a minimum. When these youngsters are left untreated, they tend to cause much social turmoil. Our findings indicated that dropouts functioned worse in the period after discharge and had higher chance at poor general daily functioning at
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