The ecological effects of universal and selective violence prevention programs for middle school students: A randomized trial.

This study reports the findings of a multisite randomized trial evaluating the separate and combined effects of 2 school-based approaches to reduce violence among early adolescents. A total of 37 schools at 4 sites were randomized to 4 conditions: (1) a universal intervention that involved implementing a student curriculum and teacher training with 6th-grade students and teachers, (2) a selective intervention in which a family intervention was implemented with a subset of 6th-grade students exhibiting high levels of aggression and social influence, (3) a combined intervention condition, and (4) a no-intervention control condition. Analyses of multiple waves of data from 2 cohorts of students at each school (N = 5,581) within the grade targeted by the interventions revealed a complex pattern. There was some evidence to suggest that the universal intervention was associated with increases in aggression and reductions in victimization; however, these effects were moderated by preintervention risk. In contrast, the selective intervention was associated with decreases in aggression but no changes in victimization. These findings have important implications for efforts to develop effective violence prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group approaches to reducing aggression and bullying in school.

This article provides a definition of and introduction to aggression and bullying as it occurs in the school environment. Following an analysis of the extent of the bullying problem in contemporary school systems, the authors present a series of interventions developed to reduce the incidence of aggression and bullying in schools. All of the programs presented have in common the utilization of a group approach, and vary in their orientation from being psychoeducationally based to having a counseling emphasis. Finally, the overall effectiveness of group work for reducing aggression in schools is examined, and based on the findings the authors provide several recommendations for school administrators, counselors, and other mental health professionals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Characterization of protease(s) in adults of Trichuris globulosa (Nematoda: Trichuridae)

PURPOSE: To identify the family and child determinants of aggressive behaviour in Nigerian elementary school boys and to compare the findings with previous ones from Western studies. METHODS: Forty-seven aggressive boys from four elementary schools in Lagos, Nigeria were compared with 47 matched pro-social boys. Teacher rating and peer nomination were combined to select subjects. The subjects and their parents were given structured questionnaires to obtain information on possible risk factors for aggression. RESULTS: Compared with pro-social boys, it was found that significantly more aggressive boys came from polygamous families and crowded homes, had more siblings, received less parental affection, were more physically punished, less supervised at home, witnessed more domestic conflicts, did poorly at school, had poorer verbal intelligence and attributed malice more readily than pro-social boys. Logistic regression indicated that the independent family predictors of aggression were crowding, little paternal affection, and corporal punishment. The independent child predictors were biased attribution and poor school achievement. Corporal punishment at school was also an independent predictor of aggression. CONCLUSIONS: The family and child determinants of aggressive behaviour in Nigeria are similar to those found in Western studies except for the small contribution of family instability and overwhelming influence of corporal punishment in our sample. Models of intervention developed in the West may therefore be cautiously applied to Nigerian children.     

A cognitive-ecological approach to preventing aggression in urban settings: Initial outcomes for high-risk children.

A multiyear, multicontext aggression prevention intervention was provided during the early or late elementary school years in an inner-city and an urban poor community. Sixteen schools were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions: (a) no-treatment control, (b) general enhancement classroom program, (c) general enhancement plus small-group peer-skills training, or (d) general enhancement plus small-group peer-skills training plus family intervention. This article reports on results for the high-risk subsample of 1,500 children. Results from hierarchical linear modeling indicate that comprehensive interventions, if provided in early grades, can be effective for children in schools in settings with resources adequate to support learning and development, but some unintended effects can occur in schools in the most distressed communities when delivered too late in development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peripheral blood monocytes in psoriatic patients overproduce cytokines

This article reports findings from a national survey that questioned school social workers on school violence. The article focuses on personal reports of victimization, precautions taken to avoid victimization, training needs to deal with school violence, programs in schools, and social workers' involvement with violence intervention. Findings suggest that many respondents believe social skills programs are not as effective as ecological interventions. Findings also indicate that the majority of school social workers have received school violence prevention training. These skills could be used in a national effort to reduce school violence. The authors recommend specific strategies for increasing the school social workers' role in school-based violence prevention efforts.     

Children's normative beliefs about aggression and aggressive behavior.

Normative beliefs have been defined as self-regulating beliefs about the appropriateness of social behaviors. In 2 studies the authors revised their scale for assessing normative beliefs about aggression, found that it is reliable and valid for use with elementary school children, and investigated the longitudinal relation between normative beliefs about aggression and aggressive behavior in a large sample of elementary school children living in poor urban neighborhoods. Using data obtained in 2 waves of observations 1 year apart, the authors found that children tended to approve more of aggression as they grew older and that this increase appeared to be correlated with increases in aggressive behavior. More important, although individual differences in aggressive behavior predicted subsequent differences in normative beliefs in younger children, individual differences in aggressive behavior were predicted by preceding differences in normative beliefs in older children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social dominance in preschool classrooms.

The authors examined preschoolers' aggressive and cooperative behaviors and their associations with social dominance. First and as predicted, directly observed aggressive interactions decreased across the school year, and same-sex aggression occurred more frequently than cross-sex aggression. Next, the authors examined the relation between aggression and reconciliation, cooperation, and social display variables. Teacher ratings of children's aggression related to observed aggression but not to observed "wins" of aggressive bouts. Instead, wins were related to cooperation and display variables. Finally, they examined the relative power of wins and cooperation in predicting 2 measures of social dominance. After age was controlled, wins alone predicted teacher-rated social dominance. Results are discussed in terms of different forms of competition and how school ethos affects these forms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial behavior outcomes for the PeaceBuilders universal school-based violence prevention program.

PeaceBuilders is a universal, elementary-school-based violence prevention program that attempts to alter the climate of a school by teaching students and staff simple rules and activities aimed at improving child social competence and reducing aggressive behavior. Eight matched schools (N > 4,000 students in Grades K-5) were randomly assigned to either immediate postbaseline intervention (PBI) or to a delayed intervention 1 year later (PBD). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze results from assessments in the fall and spring of 2 consecutive school years. In Year 1, significant gains in teacher-reported social competence for students in Grades K-2, in child self-reported peace-building behavior in Grades K-5, and reductions in aggressive behavior in Grades 3-5 were found for PBI but not PBD schools. Differential effects in Year 1 were also observed for aggression and prosocial behavior. Most effects were maintained in Year 2 for PBI schools, including increases in child prosocial behavior in Grades K-2. Implications for early universal school-based prevention and challenges related to evaluating large-scale prevention trials are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of a multiyear universal social–emotional learning program: The role of student and school characteristics.

Objective: This article examines the impact of a universal social–emotional learning program, the Fast Track PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) curriculum and teacher consultation, embedded within the Fast Track selective prevention model. Method: The longitudinal analysis involved 2,937 children of multiple ethnicities who remained in the same intervention or control schools for Grades 1, 2, and 3. The study involved a clustered randomized controlled trial involving sets of schools randomized within 3 U.S. locations. Measures assessed teacher and peer reports of aggression, hyperactive–disruptive behaviors, and social competence. Beginning in first grade and through 3 successive years, teachers received training and support and implemented the PATHS curriculum in their classrooms. Results: The study examined the main effects of intervention as well as how outcomes were affected by characteristics of the child (baseline level of problem behavior, gender) and by the school environment (student poverty). Modest positive effects of sustained program exposure included reduced aggression and increased prosocial behavior (according to both teacher and peer report) and improved academic engagement (according to teacher report). Peer report effects were moderated by gender, with significant effects only for boys. Most intervention effects were moderated by school environment, with effects stronger in less disadvantaged schools, and effects on aggression were larger in students who showed higher baseline levels of aggression. Conclusions: A major implication of the findings is that well-implemented multiyear social–emotional learning programs can have significant and meaningful preventive effects on the population-level rates of aggression, social competence, and academic engagement in the elementary school years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The distinction between beliefs legitimizing aggression and deviant processing of social cues: Testing measurement validity and the hypothesis that biased processing mediates the effects of beliefs on aggression.

In 2 studies the authors examined knowledge and social information-processing mechanisms as 2 distinct sources of influence on child aggression. Data were collected from 387 boys and girls of diverse ethnicity in 3 successive years. In Study 1, confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the discriminant validity of the knowledge construct of aggression beliefs and the processing constructs of hostile intent attributions, accessing of aggressive responses, and positive evaluation of aggressive outcomes. In Study 2, structural equation modeling analyses were used to test the mediation hypothesis that aggression beliefs would influence child aggression through the effects of deviant processing. A stronger belief that aggressive retaliation is acceptable predicted more deviant processing 1 year later and more aggression 2 years later. However, this latter effect was substantially accounted for by the intervening effects of deviant processing on aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new time-kill method of assessing the relative efficacy of antimicrobial agents alone and in combination developed using a representative beta-lactam, aminoglycoside and fluoroquinolone

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has demonstrated the central role of early childhood concentration problems in the development of aggression and other maladaptive behaviors. The present study investigated the moderating effect of concentration problems on the impact of a classroom-based preventive intervention directed at aggressive and shy behaviors in an epidemiologically defined sample of 1,084 urban first-grade children. METHOD: Concentration problems, aggressive behavior, and shy behavior were assessed by a structured teacher interview (the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation-Revised) in the fall and spring of first grade. RESULTS: Children with high ratings on concentration problems in the fall had higher levels of teacher-rated aggressive and shy behavior in the spring than did children without such problems. The intervention reduced aggressive and shy behavior in children regardless of fall concentration level. Boys, but not girls, in the intervention condition with high concentration problems had higher levels of spring aggression than those without such problems, but they also showed the greatest reductions in aggressive behavior from fall to spring. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that aggressive behavior is malleable in children with concentration problems, provide further evidence on the etiological significance of concentration problems for the development of maladaptive behavior, and highlight the importance of directly targeting concentration problems to maximize preventive intervention impact.     

Observations of Aggressive Children During Peer Provocation and With a Best Friend.

Observational methods were used to examine aggressive children's peer relations in 2 contexts: when being teased by a peer and when interacting with a best friend. Because aggressive children may have more difficulty than nonaggressive children in both peer contexts, the authors also examined whether relations between behaviors across contexts varied as a function of aggression. Results indicated that aggression was related to children's behavior when provoked. Children's behavior when provoked was associated with fewer positive and more negative interactions with their best friend, particularly for aggressive children. Results are discussed with respect to social norms in middle childhood and informing interventions for aggressive children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting and preventing supervisory workplace aggression.

The authors examined factors that lead to and prevent aggression toward supervisors at work using two samples: doctoral students and correctional service guards. The results supported that perceived interpersonal injustice mediates the relationship between perceptions of supervisory control over work performance and psychological aggression directed at supervisors, and further that psychological aggression toward supervisors is positively associated with physical acts of aggression directed at supervisors, supporting the notion of an escalation of aggressive workplace behaviors. Moreover, employees' perceptions of organizational sanctions (i.e., negative consequences for disobeying organizational policies) against aggression appear to play an important role in the prevention of workplace aggression by moderating the relationship between injustice and aggression targeting supervisors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and neuropsychological characteristics of physically aggressive boys.

Cognitive–neuropsychological tests were given to adolescent boys (N?=?177) to investigate processes associated with physical aggression. Factor analysis yielded 4 factors representing verbal learning, incidental spatial learning, tactile–lateral ability, and executive functions. Physical aggression was assessed at ages 6, 10, 11, and 12, and 3 groups were created: stable aggressive, unstable aggressive, and nonaggressive. The authors found main effects for only the executive functions factor even when other factors were used as additional covariates in a step-down analysis; nonaggressive boys performed better than stable and unstable aggressive boys. The covariates family adversity and anxiety were both related only to the verbal learning factor. This study highlights the importance of deficits in executive function in the expression of physical aggression relative to other cognitive–neuropsychological functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An exploratory study of child-centered play therapy with aggressive children.

Children exhibiting aggressive problem behaviors typically reach a peak of aggressive acts at an early age, providing evidence that early intervention for aggression is needed. Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is 1 intervention that offers the child an environment in which aggression can be expressed and empathically responded to by a play therapist. Forty-one elementary school age children were assigned to a CCPT condition or a wait-list control group condition. Children who participated in 14 sessions of CCPT showed a moderate decrease in aggressive behaviors over children in the control group, according to effect sizes as reported by parents (N = 32). Teachers reported that both groups significantly improved over time (N = 41). Post hoc analysis revealed that children assigned to CCPT decreased aggressive behaviors statistically significantly and children assigned to control group demonstrated no statistically significant difference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral correlates of peer exclusion and victimization of East Asian American and European American young adolescents.

The present study examined behavioral correlates of peer exclusion and victimization among sixth-grade European and East Asian American young adolescents, with an emphasis on aggressive and socially withdrawn behaviors. Concurrent and short-term longitudinal (over 1 academic year) associations between behavior and the distinct forms of peer adversity (victimization/exclusion) were assessed. Results varied by gender and ethnicity and suggested that social withdrawal was associated with exclusion, whereas aggression was associated with victimization. Interactions between gender and aggression predicted peer victimization after controlling for prior victimization. Extremely aggressive girls were more likely to be victimized than nonaggressive girls. Interactions between gender, ethnicity, and behavior predicted exclusion, controlling for prior exclusion. Extremely withdrawn European American girls were less excluded than nonwithdrawn European American girls. Universals emerged in the prediction of exclusion from withdrawal for all other groups and from aggression for all four groups. These results highlight the importance of considering ethnicity and gender in the links between different behaviors and the distinct forms of peer adversity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirically supported interventions and school psychology: Conceptual and practice issues—Part II.

In Part II of this 2-part article (Part I, see record 2000-03347-005), the authors present some conceptual and practice issues on the use of empirically supported interventions in school and community settings. Conceptual issues discussed include the foci of effective intervention studies, specification of interventions, and intervention manuals and procedural guidelines. The authors conclude with a discussion of essential practice issues, given a dual goal of advancing research in empirically supported interventions and of producing a knowledge base that has a direct meaning and application to school and community settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contextual determinants of mothers' interventions in young children's peer interactions.

In this study, the role of context in mothers' interventions in their preschool children's peer relationship problems was investigated. Event theme (aggression, peer rebuff, or initiating play), the child's role in the event (actor or target), the child's age and sex, and the mother's emotional reaction were examined as predictors of the extent to which mothers (N = 71) said they would discuss peer relationships, encourage peer interaction, and use power assertion in response to a series of videotaped vignettes depicting common peer relationship problems. Mothers suggested using more discussion in aggressive situations and more encouragement in initiating play situations. Mothers said they would use more power assertion when the child was the actor (i.e., provocateur), rather than the target, in an aggressive situation. Findings are discussed in terms of (a) the importance of considering context in understanding how mothers intervene in their children's peer relationships and (b) the need to examine moderators of cross-contextual consistency in mothers' interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent training and family interventions for school behavior change.

In this article the guidelines of the Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology Task Force were used to evaluate the efficacy of parent training and family intervention for changing children's school behavior. Nineteen parent training and five family intervention studies that were conducted in schools, had a school treatment component, or included measurement of school change were identified and coded. Results found one parent training program and one family intervention to be proven efficacious across two randomized clinical trials. Several family interventions were probably efficacious or promising. Despite the established link between the family environment and school behavior, parent training and family interventions are uncommon in schools, and clinic-based treatment studies infrequently measure generalization of parent and family interventions to the school setting. Future researchers are encouraged to address these limitations and to include samples representative of the diversity of the public schools in family-focused intervention studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A developmental investigation of social aggression among children.

Social aggression consists of actions directed at damaging another's self-esteem, social status, or both, and includes behaviors such as facial expressions of disdain, cruel gossiping, and the manipulation of friendship patterns. In Study 1, 4th, 7th, and 10th graders completed the Social Behavior Questionnaire; only boys viewed physical aggression as more hurtful than social aggression, and girls rated social aggression as more hurtful than did boys. In the 1st phase of Study 2, girls participated in a laboratory task in which elements of social aggression were elicited and reliably coded. In the 2nd phase of Study 2, another sample of participants (elementary, middle, and high school boys and girls) viewed samples of socially aggressive behaviors from these sessions. Girls rated the aggressor as more angry than boys, and middle school and high school participants viewed the socially aggressive behaviors as indicating more dislike than elementary school children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)