Long-term effects of an early home-based intervention

Objective: To evaluate the long-term effects of an early home-based intervention on the quantity and quality of psychiatric symptoms in adolescents. Method: The material consisted of 160 families with a baby born in 1975-1976. First, the families were classified with a weighted risk index into low- and high-risk families. Eighty families attended a 5-year-long family counseling program (10 times/year). The other half of the families served as a control group for the effects of counseling. The mental state of the adolescents was assessed at age 14 to 15 years by the Child Behavior Checklist and the Youth Self-Report. Results: The adolescents in the counseling families scored significantly fewer total symptoms on both the parent and the youth reports. The counseling reduced more effectively internalizing than externalizing symptoms. The counseling predicted better mental health in adolescence in both low- and high-risk families, Conclusions: Home-based early intervention can have positive long-term effects on the mental state of adolescents. These results can be used when programs for primary prevention in families with small children are planned.