Psychosocial Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Conduct Problems

Conduct problems (CP) encompass antisocial behaviors that violate others’ rights and/or societal norms. In this chapter, we describe evidence-based psychosocial interventions targeting CP during childhood and adolescence. Specifically, we outline the theoretical underpinnings and intervention components of family-based interventions and multicomponent interventions, including interventions specifically targeting high-risk personality traits for CP (e.g., callous-unemotional traits and psychopathy). We briefly synthesize efficacy and effectiveness research on intervention effects in relation to CP, gun violence, gang affiliation, and criminal legal system involvement. We also describe the current evidence testing logic models (including mediating and moderating models) and we discuss the effective components of psychosocial interventions. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research to address youth gun violence. Ultimately, evidence supports the utility of psychosocial interventions for improving CP, especially when they are tailored to the needs of individuals. However, the field currently lacks evidence supporting the efficacy of these psychosocial interventions to reduce gun violence among children and adolescents. This is a critical next frontier for the field.