Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Children and Adolescents With Disruptive Behavior

This article reviews the literature from 1996 to 2007 to update the 1998 Brestan and Eyberg report on evidence-based psychosocial treatments (EBTs) for child and adolescent disruptive behavior, including oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Studies were evaluated using criteria for EBTs developed by the task force on promotion and dissemination of psychological procedures (Chambless et al., 1998 Chambless , D. L. , Baker , M. J. , Baucom , D. , Beutler , L. E. , Calhoun , K. S. , et al. . ( 1998 ). Update on empirically validated therapies: II . The Clinical Psychologist , 51 , 3 – 16 . [Google Scholar]; Chambless et al., 1996 Chambless , D. L. , Sanderson , W. C. , Shoham , V. , Bennet Johnson , S. , Pope , K. S. , et al. . ( 1996 ). An update on empirically validated therapies . Clinical Psychologist , 49 , 5 – 18 . [Google Scholar]). Sixteen EBTs were identified in this review, up from 12 in the earlier report, and 9 “possibly efficacious” treatments (Chambless & Hollon, 1998 Chambless , D. L. , & Hollon , S. D. ( 1998 ). Defining empirically supported therapies . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology , 66 ( 1 ), 7 – 18 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) were identified as well. This article describes the EBTs and their evidence base and covers research on moderators and mediators of treatment outcome, as well as the clinical representativeness and generalizability of the studies. Best practice recommendations from the current evidence base also are offered, as well as calls for future research that increases understanding of the moderators and mechanisms of change for children and adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders.