Antisocial children in a summer camp environment: a time-sampling study

A discussion is set forth regarding the possibly dysfunctional consequences of grouping antisocial children in homogeneous contexts for treatment. It is posited that antisocial children can profit from being placed for treatment in community based settings (for example, community centers, YMCAs, and neighborhood settlement houses) in which most of the other children are considered prosocial. In the present study 5 antisocial boys were placed in a residential summer camp consisting of 81 boys and 75 girls. Comparisons are made among the frequencies of prosocial, nonsocial, and antisocial behavior observed for the antisocial children placed in four groups, prosocial children in these groups, and the prosocial children in four other groups. These comparisons yield no significant differences among the antisocial and prosocial children's behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for the helping professions.