| The study evaluated the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention that was adapted from the Adolescent Coping with Depression Course (Clarke, Lewinsohn and Hops, 1990) and Skillstreaming the Elementary School Child (McGinnis and Goldstein, 1983). The intervention aimed at improving both cognitive patterns and social skills in groups of conduct disordered (CD) and concurrently conduct disordered and depressed children (CD + D) ranging in age from 8-13. A social worker-teacher model of collaboration was used for delivery of treatment.Initially, baseline levels of depression (Children's Depression Inventory--Kovacs, 1977), conduct disorder (Revised Behavioral Problem Checklist--Quay and Peterson, 1987), social skills (Social Skills Rating System--Gresham and Elliot, 1990 Teacher Skills Checklist/Student Skills Checklist--McGinnis and Goldstein, 1983) and self-worth (Self-Perception Profile for Children--Harter, 1985) were determined. From this, subjects were stratified into diagnostic categories (CD and CD + D) and randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Posttests were conducted immediately following the intervention and after four weeks.It was hypothesized that subjects receiving the intervention would demonstrate reductions in depression and conduct disorder and improvement in social skills and self-worth. Marginal improvements in self-worth and social skills and reductions in depression were observed in treatment subjects when compared to controls. However, the differences were not statistically significant. Despite these results, cognitive-behavioral treatment should not be ruled out with this population. |
