The Fast Track prevention program was implemented in the early 1990’s as a randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that a comprehensive, sustained intervention with children at risk for persistent conduct problems would have a lasting impact on the incidence of externalizing behavior in adulthood. 891 high-risk youth were randomly assigned in kindergarten to receive (or not) a 10-year comprehensive intervention. Previously published intent-to-treat analyses indicate that Fast Track was successful in reducing externalizing behavior across the elementary, high school, and young adult years (CPPRG, 1999; 2002; 2004; 2007; 2011; in press). The goal of the current paper is to investigate whether genetic differences between Fast Track participants affected how they responded to treatment. Our analysis focuses on the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1.
