Preliminary Effectiveness Study of Coping Power Program for Aggressive Children in Pakistan

• NCJ Number: 306948
• Journal: Prevention Science Volume: 18 Issue: 7 Dated: 2017 Pages: 762-71
• Author(s): Asia Mushtaq; John E. Lochman; Pervaiz N. Tariq; Fazaila Sabih
• Date Published: 2017
• Length: 10 pages

Annotation

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of culturally adapted version of Coping Power Program and found preliminary evidence supporting the program’s effectiveness for Pakistani children.

Abstract

To address the scarcity of evidence-based interventions for behavioral problems in Pakistan, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of culturally adapted version of Coping Power Program. The results of the study provide preliminary evidence supporting the effectiveness of Coping Power Program for Pakistani children. Aggression is a characteristic feature of many psychiatric disorders. The purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which Coping Power Program is capable of reducing aggressive behavior and improving competent behavior, when delivered in a different culture, i.e., Pakistan. With randomized control trial (RCT) of pre- and post-testing, 112 fourth grade boys were allocated to Coping Power intervention condition and waitlist control condition. The intervention group showed significant reduction in aggression at post assessment, in comparison to control group. Boys who received Coping Power intervention also showed improvements in behavior, social skills, and social cognitive processes, with better anger control and problem solving strategies, in comparison to the control group. Despite its limitations, the results of this study are promising and suggest that Coping Power is an effective intervention to reduce behavioral problems and promote healthy and positive behaviors in children, even when implemented in different contexts with greater potential for violence exposure.  (Published Abstract Provided)