Prevention: What Works with Children and Adolescents?: A Critical Review of Psychological Prevention Programmes for Children, Adolescents and their Families

433 Pages·2002·2.18 MB·English

by  Alan Carr

Prevention: What Works with
Children and Adolescents?
‘Alan Carr and his colleagues have been both thorough and systematic in
their approach to the literature on prevention. Clinicians might well find it a
useful resource for particular disorders or problems.’
Professor Sir Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London
‘This book reviews existing evidence on prevention in an up-to-date, thor-
ough and methodical way. The summaries are concise and stimulating.’
Ian Wilkinson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist
‘This is a much needed and excellently written book.’
Professor Martin Herbert
Prevention: What Works for Children and Adolescents? deals with the preven-
tion of psychological problems which are of central concern to those who
fund and develop health, social and educational services for children, adoles-
cents and their families. Problems addressed in this book include develop-
mental delay in low birth weight infants and socially disadvantaged children;
adjustment problems in children with sensory and motor disabilities and
autism; challenging behaviour in children with intellectual disabilities; phys-
ical and sexual abuse; bullying; adjustment problems in children with asthma
and diabetes; teenage smoking; alcohol use and drug abuse; teenage preg-
nancy, STDs and HIV infection; post-traumatic adjustment problems; ado-
lescent suicide. Conclusions drawn in this book are based on the results of
over 200 rigorously conducted studies containing more than 70,000 children.
Alan Carr is Director of the Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology at
University College Dublin. His other publications include The Handbook of
Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology: A Contextual Approach (1999),
What Works with Children and Adolescents?: A Critical Review of Psycho-
logical Interventions with Children, Adolescents and their Families (2000) and
Abnormal Psychology (2001).

Prevention: What Works with
Children and Adolescents?
A Critical Review of Psychological
Prevention Programmes for Children,
Adolescents and their Families
Edited by Alan Carr
First published 2002 by Brunner-Routledge
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Taylor and Francis Inc
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Brunner-Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
© 2002 Selection and editorial matter, Alan Carr. Individual chapters,
the contributors
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2006.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0-203-98915-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 1–58391–276–2 (hbk)
ISBN 1–58391–277–0 (pbk)
Contents
List of contributors vii
Foreword by Professor Martin Herbert ix
Preface x
1 Introduction 1
ALAN CARR
2 Prevention of developmental delay in low birth weight infants 17
ANNA-MARIE O’SULLIVAN AND ALAN CARR
3 Prevention of cognitive delay in socially disadvantaged children 41
GREGOR LANGE AND ALAN CARR
4 Prevention of adjustment problems in children with cerebral palsy 64
BRIAN WALDRON AND ALAN CARR
5 Prevention of adjustment difficulties in children with sensory
impairments 83
AINE FAHEY AND ALAN CARR
6 Prevention of adjustment problems in children with autism 107
LINDA FINNEGAN AND ALAN CARR
7 Prevention of challenging behaviour in children with
intellectual disabilities 129
BRONAGH KENNEDY AND ALAN CARR
8 Prevention of physical abuse 154
BETH O’RIORDAN AND ALAN CARR
9 Prevention of child sexual abuse 181
YVONNE DUANE AND ALAN CARR
10 Prevention of bullying 205
ORNA MCCARTHY AND ALAN CARR
vi Contents
11 Prevention of adjustment problems in children with asthma 222
AOIFE BRINKLEY, RUTH CATHERINE CULLEN AND ALAN CARR
12 Prevention of adjustment problems in children with diabetes 249
EIMEAR FARRELL, RUTH CATHERINE CULLEN AND ALAN CARR
13 Prevention of teenage smoking, alcohol use and drug abuse 267
BARRY J. COUGHLAN, MAIREAD DOYLE AND ALAN CARR
14 Prevention of teenage pregnancy, STDs and HIV infection 287
NODLAIG MOORE, ATTRACTA MCGLINCHEY AND ALAN CARR
15 Prevention of post-traumatic adjustment problems in children
and adolescents 314
SIOFRADH ENRIGHT AND ALAN CARR
16 Prevention of suicide in adolescence 336
DEIRDRE HICKEY AND ALAN CARR
17 Conclusions 359
ALAN CARR
Bibliography 373
Index 415
Contributors
Aoife Brinkley, MSc, D Psych Sc, Midland Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Alan Carr, MA, PhD, University College Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Barry J. Coughlan, PhD, D Psych Sc, Mid-Western Health Board, Republic
of Ireland
Ruth Catherine Cullen, MSc, D Psych Sc, South Eastern Health Board,
Republic of Ireland
Mairead Doyle, BSc, D Psych Sc, Midland Health Board, Republic of Ireland
Yvonne M. Duane, Dip Psych, D Psych Sc, North Eastern Health Board,
Republic of Ireland
Siofradh Enright, M Psych Sc, D Psych Sc, Midland Health Board, Republic
of Ireland
Aine Fahey, BA, D Psych Sc, South Eastern Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Eimear Farrell, MSc, D Psych Sc, North Western Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Linda M. Finnegan, MA, D Psych Sc, South Eastern Health Board, Republic
of Ireland
Deirdre Hickey, MA, D Psych Sc, South Eastern Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Bronagh Kennedy, MEd, D Psych Sc, North Western Health Board, Republic
of Ireland
Gregor Lange, MSc, D Psych Sc, North Eastern Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Orna P. McCarthy, MA, D Psych Sc, South Eastern Health Board, Republic
of Ireland
viii List of contributors
Attracta A. McGlinchey, PhD, D Psych Sc, Southern Health Board, Republic
of Ireland
Nodlaig Moore, MSc, D Psych Sc, Midwestern Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Beth O’Riordan, MA, D Psych Sc, Midland Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Anna-Marie O’Sullivan, MA, D Psych Sc, North Eastern Health Board,
Republic of Ireland
Brian Waldron, MSc, D Psych Sc, North Western Health Board, Republic of
Ireland
Foreword
In these times of increasing insistence, much overdue, on empirically sup-
ported psychological treatments, there is a welcome burgeoning of publica-
tions of the “What works?” variety. Alan Carr’s earlier edited volume in this
tradition provided one of the seminal contributions. However, there is an
equally important, perhaps even more significant question, to answer. What
works in the area of preventive work? Here there is a much more sparse
literature to consult, a fact that makes the present volume – with its review of
empirically rigorous prevention programmes in15 problem areas – a ground-
breaking addition to the clinician’s knowledge base. A bonus in the book
is the detailed explanation of the methodology for selecting and evaluating
the prevention investigations (involving 70,000 participants) culled from 23
years of publications in English language journals. Eighteen experts have
co-written with Alan Carr the 17 chapters dealing with a variety of
heterogeneous problems ranging from low birth weight, cognitive delays,
adjustment difficulties in children with autism, cerebral palsy and sensory
disabilities, to drug abuse, suicide, bronchial asthma, and teenage pregnancy.
In other words, it is comprehensive; and in addition, lucidly written. To sum
up, this is an invaluable reference and study text, a ‘must’ for the clinician’s
bookshelf.
Martin Herbert
Emeritus Professor, Exeter University