Long Term Outcome of an Attachment-Based Program for Conduct Disorder *

Abstract

There is increasing concern among professionals and the public about the level of violence and antisocial behaviour among our youth. This has been coupled with confusion and a sense of helplessness about which types of interventions are most effective in responding to these difficulties. Some professionals and advocacy groups are calling for tougher disciplinary responses to violence and antisocial behaviour, including changes in the Young Offenders Act Yet, such interventions are rarely effective in producing the desired reductions in these behaviours. Other professionals have called for better forms of treatment. However, few treatments have been shown to be effective in bringing about long term reductions either in aggressive behaviour or in the concomitant psychological difficulties experienced by these youths. In this paper, a description is presented of an approach to understanding conduct disorder that focuses on attachment as an organizing principle of behaviour and affect. Also, a description is presented of a community-oriented program that is based on attachment theory, as well as the results of the program evaluation at six, 12 and 18 months following discharge. The findings replicate and extend earlier findings reported by Holland et al (1) on the effectiveness of this approach.