NIH R01 Friend to Friend With Coaching

Launched by CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA · Nov 14, 2019

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The "Friend to Friend with Coaching" study is looking at a program designed to help young girls who show relational aggression, which is a type of bullying that involves damaging someone's social relationships. This program will be run by teachers and counselors who receive guidance from the research team. It includes 14 small group sessions specifically for the girls, along with 8 classroom sessions for all students. The study aims to see how effective this program is by comparing the experiences of girls in schools that participate in the program to those in schools that do not.

To participate in the trial, students must be in 4th or 5th grade at a public school in Philadelphia that has a mostly minority student body and is not already using a bullying prevention program. Parents must also give their permission for their children to join. The study is open to all boys and girls, but only girls will take part in the small group sessions. Throughout the study, students, teachers, counselors, and parents will complete questionnaires before and after the program to help researchers understand its impact. If you're part of this community and think your child might benefit, this study could be a great opportunity to address and reduce aggressive behaviors in a supportive environment.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Aim 1 Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria:
• • Inclusion Criteria for Schools
• 40 schools will be selected on the basis of the following inclusion criteria:
• • 1. Urban school from the School District of Philadelphia
• • 2. Predominately minority student body (\> 80%)
• • 3. Relatively large school with at least 2 classrooms per grade
• • 4. School is not currently involved in a systematic anti-aggression or bullying prevention program
• • 5. School must have at least 1 school counselor who is interested in participating
• • Inclusion Criteria for Students
• • 1. All boys and girls in regular education 4th-5th grade classrooms will be eligible to participate in screening and outcome assessment activities.
• • 2. Screening will include a peer-rating procedure that will be utilized to identify girls with relational aggression (GRAs).
• • 3. GRAs will be based on if they score \> .50 of a Standard Deviation above mean on relational aggression on the peer-rating measure. These identified girls will be recruited (with written parent consent and student assent) to participate in the F2F with Coaching or control condition.
• • Inclusion Criteria for Parents
• • 1) All parents of students in regular education 4th-5th grade classrooms will be eligible to participate in outcome assessment activities. Starting in year 4, parent recruitment will focus on parents of indicated girls.
• • Inclusion Criteria for Teachers/Counselors
• • 1. Teachers/counselors employed by the participating school sites who provide their verbal consent for participation.
• • 2. Teachers/counselors who currently teach and/or provide services to students in 4th-5th grade.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Exclusion Criteria for Students
• • 1) Students who do not speak English. 2) Students whose parents do not speak English or one of the foreign languages into which the Parent Information Sheet for Child Participation has been translated (who therefore cannot opt their child in or out of the study in an informed manner).
• • 3) Special education students who are not integrated within the regular education classroom.
• • 4) In intervention schools, boys are excluded from the F2F small group intervention, however, as noted above, all boys will participate in the class portion of the program. Boys in both conditions will complete screening and outcome assessment activities.
• • Exclusion Criteria for Parents
• • 1) Parents who do not speak English or one of the foreign languages into which the Parent Information Sheet for Parent Participation and parent questionnaires have been translated.
• • 2) Parents of students in special education who are not integrated within the regular education classroom.
• • Exclusion Criteria for Teachers/Counselors
• • 1. Teachers/counselors who do not speak English.
• • 2. Teachers/counselors who are not working with 4th-5th grade students at the participating school sites.
• • Aim 2: Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
• • Aim 2 Inclusion Criteria - Schools 1) 10 of Friend to Friend with Coaching schools in Aim 1 will participate in Aim 2.
• • Aim 2 Inclusion Criteria - Students
• • 1. 4th grade boys and girls who meet the same criteria as described in Aim 1.
• • 2. Similar to Aim 1, a peer rating procedure will be used to identify girls with relational aggression (GRAs) and prosocial role models.
• • Aim 2 Inclusion Criteria - Parents 1) Same as Aim 1.
• • Aim 2 Inclusion Criteria - Teachers/Counselors 1) Counselors and 4th grade teachers who participated in F2F with Coaching in Aim 1.
• • Aim 2 Exclusion Criteria - Students, Parents, Teacher/Counselors
• • 1) Same as Aim 1.