Crisis Intervention Program for Children and Adolescents Preventing Post-Corona Delinquency, Results of a Randomised Controlled Trial

Background: A novel Crisis Intervention Program for Children and Adolescents (CIPCA) has shown a positive effect in preventing posttraumatic psychopathology among IDP children. In this study, the effect of CIPCA is examined in a randomised controlled trial. Methods: During the Corona crisis in the city of Duhok in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, 97 of the enrolled 106 children between 6 - 18 years age accepted to participate in this study (response rate 91.5%). In the presence of a parent/caregiver, every participating child was interviewed within the first month after discharge from hospital or quarantine for Corona crisis. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was conducted to estimate child behavior problem scores before randomisation to a single one-hour CIPCA intervention or a waiting list. The CBCL interview was repeated 6 months later to estimate changes over time. Results: Delinquency behavior showed a significant difference between CIPCA and the waiting list over time, indicating a positive effect of CIPCA. Conclusions: CIPCA is effective in identifying and preventing post-Corona juvenile delinquency problems. Follow-up is planned to detect any psychopathological development.