Cited by 95Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentBehavioral and Psychological StudiesMeta-analysis and systematic reviews

The Earlier the Better? Individual Participant Data and Traditional Meta-analysis of Age Effects of Parenting Interventions

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Gardner, Frances, Leijten, Patty, Melendez-Torres, G J, Landau, Sabine, Harris, Victoria, Mann, Joanna, Beecham, Jennifer, Hutchings, Judy +1 more·2019·Child Development

Abstract

Abstract Strong arguments have been made for early intervention for child problems, stating that early is more effective than later, as the brain is more malleable, and costs are lower. However, there is scant evidence from trials to support this hypothesis, which we therefore tested in two well-powered, state-of-the-art meta-analyses with complementary strengths: (a) Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis of European trials of Incredible Years parenting intervention (k = 13, n = 1696; age = 2–11); (b) Larger, trial-level robust variance estimation meta-analysis of a wider range of parenting programs (k = 156, n = 13,378, Mage = 2–10) for reducing disruptive behavior. Both analyses found no evidence that intervention earlier in childhood was more effective; programs targeted at a narrower age range were no more effective than general ones. The title for this Special Section is Meta-analysis and Individual Participant Data Synthesis in Child Development, edited by Glenn I. Roisman and Marinus H. van IJzendoorn

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  • The lack of statistically significant subgroup results by child age is consistent with prior meta-analyses that showed no age effects among parenting interventions focused during early childhood or spanning broader age ranges.

    “The lack of statistically significant subgroup results by child age are consistent with the few prior meta-analyses that have similarly shown no age effects among parenting interventions focused during early childhood [9,22] or spanning broader age ranges from early to middle childhood [49] or birth to age 18 [62].”

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  1. Scott, S. & Gardner, F. (2015). Parenting Programmes. In A. Thapar, D. Pine, J. Leckman, S. Scott, M. Snowling, & E. Taylor (eds), Rutter's Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 6th Edition (pp. 483-495). Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell.
  2. Taylor, E., Sandberg, S., Thorley, G. & Giles, S. (1991). The epidemiology of childhood hyperactivity (Maudsley Monograph No 33). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Authors
Gardner, F., Leijten, P., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Landau, S., Harris, V., Mann, J., Beecham, J., Hutchings, J., & Scott, S.
Affiliations
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • Cardiff University
  • King's College London (GB)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science (GB)
  • Bangor University (GB)
Corresponding author
Gardner, Frances
Venue
Child Development
Published
2019-01-01
Volume
90
Issue
1
Pages
7-19
ISSN
  • 0009-3920 (ISSN-L)
  • 1467-8624
OpenAlex
W2847093153
Cited by
95
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2
FWCI
1.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Child Development (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
  • Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • NIHR PHR (12-3070-04)
  • Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare, Socialstyrelsen
  • National Institute on Handicapped Research (12‐3070‐04)
  • Socialstyrelsen
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty › Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
Keywords
early intervention, parenting support, age effects, Incredible Years, disruptive behavior, child problems, intervention timing, robust variance estimation
MeSH terms
Problem Behavior, Adult, Age Factors, Child, Child, Preschool, Europe, Humans, Infant, Parents, Psychotherapy, Parenting

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