Conduct problems is the common childhood health condition that has the most far-reaching and pervasive consequences for later health, development and social adjustment (including offending, incarceration, substance abuse, mental health problems, early parenthood and welfare dependency). It affects 5–10% of New Zealand children and young people.
On average, Māori have the poorest health status of any ethnic group in New Zealand. This is reflected in an up to 20% prevalence rate for conduct problems within Māori children.
Effective interventions for children and young people with conduct problems are available in New Zealand. These can improve outcomes for children and families and yield significant social and economic benefits.
Te Whānau Pou Toru is a brief, low intensity preventive early intervention programme for parents of young children experiencing difficulties with managing children’s behaviour. This initiative is a result of collaboration involving The University of Auckland, the Ngāti Hine Health Trust and the University of Queensland, Australia.
The report describes the outcomes of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of Te Whānau Pou Toru, a culturally adapted version of the Primary Care Triple P – Discussion Groups. The study involved 70 whānau located within the Ngāti Hine rohe.