Abstract

MARINHO, Maria Luiza  and  CABALLO, Vicente E.. Children's antisocial behaviourand its impact on social competence . Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2002, vol.3, n.2, pp.141-147. ISSN 1645-0086.

The term antisocial (or conduct disorder according to the DSM-IV) means the behaviour which breaks social rules or which is an action against the other ones. The individual acting this way is perceived as socially incompetent since the individual uses inappropriate interaction mechanisms in problem solving. The inefficient educational practices of parents are seen as the key factors of this antisocial behaviour. The purpose of this study is to describe a Program of Intervention in Group for Parents that consists of sessions of parents guidance and social skills training in children. The main components are to identify, to describe and to reinforce the appropriate behaviour of children, as well as to analyse functionally both children and parents behaviour and to apply procedures of problem solving. The Program produced positive changes in behaviour in 70% of the families (both parents and children) who followed the treatment. Short term and long-term results do support the effectiveness of the treatment.

Keywords : Antisocial behaviour; Behavioural intervention; Conduct disorder; Social competence; Parents guidance.

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