Effectiveness of Treatment for Relational Aggression in Urban African American Girls

NCT ID: NCT00510094

Last Updated: 2015-06-04

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

144 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2007-10-31

Study Completion Date

2015-05-31

Brief Summary

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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.

Detailed Description

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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.

Conditions

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Aggression

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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1

Participants will receive the Friend to Friend program

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Friend to Friend program

Intervention Type 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.

2

Participants will receive the psychoeducational attention control intervention

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Psychoeducational attention control intervention

Intervention Type 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.

Interventions

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Friend to Friend program

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.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Psychoeducational attention control intervention

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.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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Relational aggression intervention Homework and study skills intervention

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* 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

Exclusion Criteria

* Enrolled in special education and not integrated into a regular education classroom
Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Stephen S. Leff, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Locations

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The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16999803 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type 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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19830622 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19834586 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20428475 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23389773 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23086015 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22556114 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21800228 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21686034 (View on PubMed)

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.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20449645 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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R01MH075787

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

DSIR 84-CTS

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

2006-10-5013

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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