Video feedback combined with coordination meetings in school to reduce early disruptive behaviour problems (DBP)—A 1-year follow-up randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Aim: To compare long-term effects of a systemic school-based intervention, Marte Meo and Coordination Meetings (MAC), targeting 3- to 12-year-old children displaying disruptive behaviour problems (DBP) in preschool or school, and service as usual (SAU). In addition, to examine whether social status (SS) affected the outcomes. Methods: In a randomised controlled design, teachers' and parents' ratings of 99 children's DBPs and mental health were collected before intervention and 1 year after post-test. Results: A significant time effect in school was found in both interventions, notably larger than at post-test in an earlier study. There was no difference between groups, SAU catching up with MAC. From teachers' reports, 53–70% of the children showed a positive change. SS did not affect the outcomes. Conclusion: School provides an already established setting to detect and intervene when young children begin to display DBP. Even if a long-term positive change in MAC did show more rapidly than in SAU, both interventions were equivalent for children from diverse social backgrounds.