Primary Outcome Measures:
- Peer nominations [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Playground observations [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Social Cognitive Assessment Profile [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Cartoon Based Hostile Attribution Bias Measure [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Nursing reports of injuries [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Discipline referrals and suspensions [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Academic Performance Rating Scale [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Homework Performance Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Asher-Wheeler Loneliness Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Iowa-Conner Aggression subscale [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Student-Teacher Relationship Scale [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
- Peer Ratings of Aggression and Prosocial Behavior [ Time Frame: Measured immediately post-treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Relational aggression, also known as "female bullying," is a type of psychological aggression in which covert tactics are used to harm other people and their relationships. These tactics include humiliation, intimidation, coercing, shaming, malicious teasing, shunning, and using other forms of emotional abuse in an attempt to harm others. Although aggressive behavior is typically common among younger children, most children become less aggressive as they mature and develop better interpersonal skills. However, consistent aggressive behavior can lead to further problems and increased violence in the aggressor. In this study, a social cognitive anger management group intervention called Friend to Friend (F2F) will be evaluated as a way to develop more productive social and emotional functioning among relationally aggressive urban African American girls.
Participants will be randomly assigned to either the F2F program or a psycho-educational attention control (PAC) group. All participants will attend 40-minute treatment sessions twice a week for a total of 10 weeks. The sessions will occur during the girls' lunch or recess period. Participants assigned to the F2F program will learn how to identify signs of physiological arousal, react to a potential conflict while generating alternatives to the solution, and apply previously discussed social cognitive strategies to different situations. Culturally specific cartoons, videotape illustrations, and role playing will be used to portray these improved strategies and behaviors. Participants assigned to the PAC group will learn different organization and homework strategies as well as how to improve their study skills in an attempt to improve their overall academic performance. Outcomes will be assessed through observation, school reports, and questionnaires for all participants at baseline, immediately after treatment, and 9 months after treatment.
Purpose
