Article type
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to comprehensively review the scope of published Nordic guidelines concerning evidence-based interventions for preventing juvenile delinquency.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted in 2023 through close collaboration with expert researchers in the field and representatives from Nordic countries engaged in the assessment and evaluation of social interventions at the national level.
Results: A total of 30 guidelines were identified, demonstrating variations in methodology and content both within and between countries. Approximately half of the guidelines had incorporated some form of systematic literature review, with only seven publications additionally assessing the certainty of evidence. In total, 51 uniquely named interventions were documented across the Nordic publications. High-risk individual-targeted interventions were most prevalent, contrasting with the scarcity of guidelines focusing on universal prevention strategies for the entire population. Family-based interventions, parental support programs, and initiatives aimed at enhancing individual skills and competences emerged as the most commonly recommended interventions.
Discussion: The findings underscore the efforts made by Nordic countries in publishing guidelines to aid in the selection of evidence-based interventions. However, there remains potential for closer national and Nordic collaboration and coordination in the assessment, evaluation, and dissemination of knowledge-based interventions to guide professionals in social care. Enhancing cooperation in this realm could facilitate more effective prevention strategies and interventions tailored to the diverse needs of at-risk youth across the Nordic region.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted in 2023 through close collaboration with expert researchers in the field and representatives from Nordic countries engaged in the assessment and evaluation of social interventions at the national level.
Results: A total of 30 guidelines were identified, demonstrating variations in methodology and content both within and between countries. Approximately half of the guidelines had incorporated some form of systematic literature review, with only seven publications additionally assessing the certainty of evidence. In total, 51 uniquely named interventions were documented across the Nordic publications. High-risk individual-targeted interventions were most prevalent, contrasting with the scarcity of guidelines focusing on universal prevention strategies for the entire population. Family-based interventions, parental support programs, and initiatives aimed at enhancing individual skills and competences emerged as the most commonly recommended interventions.
Discussion: The findings underscore the efforts made by Nordic countries in publishing guidelines to aid in the selection of evidence-based interventions. However, there remains potential for closer national and Nordic collaboration and coordination in the assessment, evaluation, and dissemination of knowledge-based interventions to guide professionals in social care. Enhancing cooperation in this realm could facilitate more effective prevention strategies and interventions tailored to the diverse needs of at-risk youth across the Nordic region.