Lectures and seminars Webinar on Antisocial Development in Children and Youth
Welcome to a webinar where we present the newly launched Network for Research on Antisocial Development in Children and Youth. Researchers Ida Mälarstig and Maria Helander will give a lecture on children's developmental pathways towards antisocial behavior and present the new research project Coping Power - an intervention for schoolchildren with outgoing and aggressive behavior.
The webinar will provide a unique insight into a dynamic field of research, an in-depth look at how antisocial behavior develops - and examples of how it can be prevented. We hope you will join us to listen, discuss and be inspired!
Registration:
The webinar is free of charge and you can register here >
Speakers:
Ida Mälarstig, psychologist and PhD student
Maria Helander, psychologist and postdoc
Read more about the Network for Research on Antisocial Development in Children and Youth >
Pathways to antisocial behavior - and what we can do about it
We often talk about starting early to prevent children from being drawn into gang crime. But what really lies behind the development of antisocial behavior - and what does research say about how we can break the cycle?
For some children, problems appear early in life and continue through childhood and into adulthood. These children often exhibit high levels of impulsivity, difficulties with emotion regulation and low tolerance for frustration. Often, there are also risk factors in the home environment, poor parenting skills, inconsistent boundary setting or parental mental health problems. In other cases, antisocial behavior first emerges in adolescence, often in the context of negative peer influences, school failures or contact with criminal gangs and drug problems. Whatever the pathway, it is important that we catch children early - and provide the right interventions.
What can we do to reverse this trend?
One of the most promising approaches is the CBT-based Coping Power program. The programme is aimed at children aged 8-14 who exhibit aggressive and norm-breaking behavior. Training in social and emotional skills for the child is combined with structured support for the parents. Children are trained in identifying emotions, anger management and problem solving, among other skills. At the same time, parents receive guidance on how to use positive reinforcement and consistent follow-up at home. Research from the US shows that the program can reduce aggressive behavior, improve school attendance and increase children's social skills - and now Swedish children and families can benefit from the same support.
The Swedish implementation project of Coping Power is led by psychologist and researcher Maria Helander at Karolinska Institutet.