Effectiveness of Treatment for Relational Aggression in Urban African American Girls

NCT00510094 | Completed Phase 3

• 3 other identifiers: 2006-10-5013R01MH075787DSIR 84-CTS
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 144
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based social cognitive group treatment in reducing aggression (bullying) among relationally aggressive urban African American girls.

Conditions

Aggression

Keywords

Social Skills; Anger Management; Relational Aggression

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Peer nominations

  Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment

• Playground observations

  Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment

• Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire

  Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Social Cognitive Assessment Profile

  Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Cartoon Based Hostile Attribution Bias Measure

  Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Knowledge of Anger Problem Solving (KAPS)

  Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment, and at 9 month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (9)

• Discipline referrals and suspensions

  Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Academic Performance Rating Scale

  Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Homework Performance Questionnaire

  Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Asher-Wheeler Loneliness Questionnaire

  Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

• Iowa-Conner Aggression subscale

  Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

1

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will receive the Friend to Friend program

Behavioral: Friend to Friend program

2

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will receive the psychoeducational attention control intervention

Behavioral: Psychoeducational attention control intervention

Interventions

Friend to Friend program BEHAVIORAL

Friend to Friend arm is a social information processing group treatment to help aggressive girls learn better social problem solving and decision making choices. Participants will learn how to identify signs of physiological arousal, evaluate others' intentions, react to a potential conflict situation, and generate and evaluate alternatives. Treatment sessions are twice per week (30 to 40 minutes per session) for ten weeks.

Also known as: Relational aggression intervention

1

Psychoeducational attention control intervention BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducational attention control group also meets two times per week for 10 weeks to control for nonspecific factors of treatment. Participants learn homework, study skills, and organizational skills.

Also known as: Homework and study skills intervention

2

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Urban school located in Southwest Philadelphia
• Student body is more than 80% African American
• Large school with at least three classrooms per grade
• Not currently involved with systematic anti-aggression social skills program
• In the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade
• Meets diagnostic criteria for relational aggression

You may not qualify if:

• Enrolled in special education and not integrated into a regular education classroom

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: lead
• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

Related Publications (11)

• Leff SS, Crick NR, Angelucci J, Haye K, Jawad AF, Grossman M, Power TJ. Social cognition in context: validating a cartoon-based attributional measure for urban girls. Child Dev. 2006 Sep-Oct;77(5):1351-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00939.x.

  PMID: 16999803 BACKGROUND

• Leff, S. S., Angelucci, J., Goldstein, A. B., Cardaciotto, L., Paskewich, B., & Grossman, M. (2007). Using a participatory action research model to create a school-based intervention program for relationally aggressive girls: The Friend to Friend Program. In J. Zins, M. Elias, & C. Maher (Eds.), Bullying, Victimization, and Peer Harassment: Handbook of Prevention and Intervention in Peer Harassment, Victimization, and Bullying (199-218). New York. Haworth Press.

  BACKGROUND

• Leff SS, Gullan RL, Paskewich BS, Abdul-Kabir S, Jawad AF, Grossman M, Munro MA, Power TJ. An initial evaluation of a culturally adapted social problem-solving and relational aggression prevention program for urban African-American relationally aggressive girls. J Prev Interv Community. 2009;37(4):260-74. doi: 10.1080/10852350903196274.

  PMID: 19830622 BACKGROUND

• Blom-Hoffman J, Leff SS, Franko DL, Weinstein E, Beakley K, Power TJ. Consent Procedures and Participation Rates in School-Based Intervention and Prevention Research: Using a Multi-Component, Partnership-Based Approach to Recruit Participants. School Ment Health. 2009 Mar 1;1(1):3-15. doi: 10.1007/s12310-008-9000-7.

  PMID: 19834586 BACKGROUND

• Gullan RL, Feinberg BE, Freedman MA, Jawad A, Leff SS. Using Participatory Action Research to Design an Intervention Integrity System in the Urban Schools. School Ment Health. 2009 Sep 1;1(3):118-130. doi: 10.1007/s12310-009-9006-9.

  PMID: 20428475 BACKGROUND

• Leff SS, Waasdorp TE. Effect of aggression and bullying on children and adolescents: implications for prevention and intervention. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2013 Mar;15(3):343. doi: 10.1007/s11920-012-0343-2.

  PMID: 23389773 BACKGROUND

• Waasdorp TE, Baker CN, Paskewich BS, Leff SS. The association between forms of aggression, leadership, and social status among urban youth. J Youth Adolesc. 2013 Feb;42(2):263-74. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9837-9. Epub 2012 Oct 20.

  PMID: 23086015 BACKGROUND

• Macevoy JP, Leff SS. Children's sympathy for peers who are the targets of peer aggression. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2012 Oct;40(7):1137-48. doi: 10.1007/s10802-012-9636-5.

  PMID: 22556114 BACKGROUND

• Leff SS, Lefler EK, Khera GS, Paskewich B, Jawad AF. Preliminary examination of a cartoon-based hostile attributional bias measure for urban African American boys. Am J Community Psychol. 2012 Jun;49(3-4):332-46. doi: 10.1007/s10464-011-9461-y.

  PMID: 21800228 BACKGROUND

• Leff SS, Waasdorp TE, Paskewich B, Gullan RL, Jawad AF, Macevoy JP, Feinberg BE, Power TJ. The Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Everyday Program: A Preliminary Evaluation of Acceptability and Impact. School Psych Rev. 2010 Dec;39(4):569-587.

  PMID: 21686034 BACKGROUND

• Leff SS, Cassano M, MacEvoy JP, Costigan T. Initial validation of a knowledge-based measure of social information processing and anger management. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2010 Oct;38(7):1007-20. doi: 10.1007/s10802-010-9419-9.

  PMID: 20449645 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Aggression; Social Skills

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Aberrant Motor Behavior in Dementia; Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Social Behavior

Study Officials

• Stephen S. Leff, PhD

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 3
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 30, 2007
• First Posted: August 1, 2007
• Study Start: October 1, 2007
• Primary Completion: May 1, 2014
• Study Completion: May 1, 2015
• Last Updated: June 4, 2015

Record last verified: 2015-06

Locations

US (1)