School Aggression and Bullying Prevention

2019

1. Need: Despite the documented need, there are very few effective, culturally-sensitive relational aggression prevention programs for high-risk girls and their classmates in urban schools, particularly those that equip school staff with much needed training to lead and sustain the program. Addressing these gaps, this proposal is grounded in the Friend to Friend (F2F) Program, which was developed through a longstanding partnership between Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). A clinical trial proved F2F was effective for decreasing relational aggression and improving problem-solving and leadership of relationally aggressive girls with effects maintained one year later, and for producing positive effects on aggression and student-teacher relationships for the girls classmates. Therefore, F2F was translated from researcher-led to school-led with coaching from the research team to build the capacity of schools to effectively and sustainably run the program on their own. 2. Overall Goals and Objectives: This study will examine for the first time the effectiveness of F2F with Coaching. 3. Unusual Features: The primary population is relationally aggressive 3rd-5th grade girls in the School District of Philadelphia. Classmates (boys and girls) of the aggressive girls, as well as their teachers and counselors will also participate. 4. Expected Benefits: Intervention: F2F with Coaching will involve 16 counselor-led small group sessions with relationally aggressive girls and prosocial role models, as well as 8 teacher-led classroom lessons wherein girls from the small groups will demonstrate their newly learned social skills to their classmates. Staff running the program will receive training and ongoing coaching from CHOP. This cluster randomized control trial including 40 SDP schools will randomize 20 schools to the F2F with Coaching intervention and 20 schools to the control condition (standard school practice of referring aggressors to the counselor). Ten of the intervention schools will participate a second year to explore program effectiveness with minimal CHOP support. Data collection and analysis: Students, staff and parents in intervention and control schools will complete brief questionnaires at the beginning and end of the year. Multilevel modeling will examine indicated and universal effects for students and staff self-efficacy for handling relational aggression. Regression models will explore mediators and moderators of program success and as factors associated with staff adoption and implementation of F2F when CHOP is less involved. Expected outcomes include: Friend to Friend with Coaching will significantly contribute to improving the social-emotional health and well-being of high-risk relationally aggressive girls in a number of ways. First, these indicated girls will demonstrate lower levels of aggression, increased problem-solving knowledge, and increased leadership. Further, their classmates will improve in prosocial behavior and student-teacher closeness.

Performing Research or Evaluation

Education & Early Intervention, Other - Cultural Diversity, Other - Leadership

Professionals and Para-Professionals

Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Urban

Single-County

N/A