Differential Effects of a Nurse Home-Visiting Intervention on Physically Aggressive Behavior in Children

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to examine the differential effects of nurse home visiting (NV) on physical aggression (PA) among children aged 2–12 years.MethodsThis study used secondary data analysis from a randomized trial of NV intervention.ResultsThere were significant reductions in PA observed among NV girls at 2 years old and NV children of high-psychological-resource mothers at 6 and 12 years old. Mediation analyses suggest that reductions in PA yield increased verbal ability among girls.ConclusionsDifferential effects of intervention on PA by gender and mother's psychological resources highlight the importance of subgroup analyses. Identification of groups most likely to benefit may lead to more successful interventions.