Understanding How Programs Work to Prevent Overt Aggressive Behaviors: A Meta-analysis of Mediators of Elementary School-Based Programs

Journal of School Violence

Volumn 10, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 315-337

  Dymnicki, Allison B ^a   Weissberg, Roger P ^a   Henry, David B ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO   (United States)

Author keywords

elementary school; intervention; mediators; prevention; school based programming; violence

Indexed keywords

EID: 84859295788     PISSN: 15388220     EISSN: 15388239     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/15388220.2011.602599     Document Type: Article

References (83)

1. Aber, J. L., Brown, J. L. and Jones, S. M. 2003. Development trajectories toward violence in middle childhood: Course, demographic differences and response to school-based intervention. Developmental Psychology, 39: 324-348. doi:doi:10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.324
2. Aber, J. L., Jones, S. M., Brown, J. L., Chaundry, N. and Samples, F. 1998. Resolving conflict creatively: Evaluating the developmental effects of a school-based violence prevention program in neighborhood and classroom context. Development and Psychopathology, 10: 187-214. doi:doi:10.1017/S0954579498001576
3. Baron, R. M. and Kenny, D. A. 1986. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51: 1173-1182. doi:doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
4. Brame, B., Nagin, D. S. and Tremblay, R. E. 2001. Developmental trajectories of physical aggression from school entry to late adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Allied Disciplines, 42: 503-512. doi:doi:0021-9630/01
5. Bukowski, W. and Sippola, L. 2001. "Groups, individuals, and victimization: A view of the peer system". In Peer harassment in school. The plight of the vulnerable and victimized, Edited by: Juvonen, J. and Graham, S. 355-377. NY: Guilford: New York.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 2009. Surveillance summaries, Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 59, SS-5. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/ss5905.pdf
7. Cohen, J. and Cohen, P. 1983. Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences, Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
8. Coie, J. D. and Jacobs, M. R. 1993. The role of social context in the prevention of conduct disorder. Development and Psychopathology, 5: 263-275. doi:doi:10.1017/S0954579400004387
9. Coie, J. D. and Krebbel, G. 1984. Effects of academic tutoring on the social status of low-achieving socially rejected children. Child Development, 55: 1465-1478.
10. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. 1999. Initial impact of the Fast Track prevention trial for conduct problems: II. Classroom effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67: 648-657. doi:doi:0022-006X/99
11. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group. 2010. The effects of a multiyear universal social-emotional learning program: The role of student and school characteristics. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78: 156-168. doi:doi:10.1037/a0018607
12. Dishion, T. J., Spracklen, K. M., Andrews, D. W. and Patterson, G. R. 1996. Deviancy training in male adolescent friendships. Behavior Therapy, 27: 373-390. doi:doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(96)80023-2
13. Dodge, K. A. 1993. Social-cognitive mechanisms in the development of conduct disorder and depression. Annual Review of Psychology, 44: 559-584. doi:doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.44.020193.003015
14. Dolan, L. J., Kellam, S. G., Brown, C. H., Werthamer-Larsson, L., Rebok, G. W.Mayer, L. S. 1993. The short-term impact of two classroom-based preventive interventions on aggressive and shy behaviors and poor academic achievement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 14: 317-345. doi:doi:10.1016/0193-3973(93)90013-L
15. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D. and Schellinger, K. B. 2011. The impact of enhancing students' social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school based universal interventions. Child Development, 82: 405-432.
16. Eden, J. F. and Douglas, K. S. 2006. Assessment of interpersonal aggression and violence: Introduction to the special issue. Assessment, 13: 221-226. doi:doi:10.1177/1073191106291443
17. Eron, L. D., Huesmann, L. R. and Zelli, A. 1991. "The role of parental variables in the learning of aggression". In The development and treatment of childhood aggression, Edited by: Pepler, D. J. and Rubin, K. H. 569-188. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
18. Farrell, A. D., Henry, D. B. and Bettencourt, A. 2011. Methodological challenges examining subgroup differences: Examples from universal school-based youth violence prevention trials. Prevention Science, Advance online publication. doi:doi:10.1007/s11121-011-0200-2
19. Flannery, D. J., Vazsonyi, A. T., Liau, A. K., Powell, K. E., Atha, H.Vesterdal, W. 2003. Initial behavior outcomes for the PeaceBuilders universal school-based violence prevention program. Developmental Psychology, 39: 292-308. doi:doi:10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.292
20. Fonagy, P., Twemlow, S. W., Vernberg, E. M., Nelson, J. M., Dill, E. J., Little, T. D. and Sargent, J. A. 2009. A cluster randomized controlled trial of child-focused psychiatric consultation and a school systems-focused intervention to reduce aggression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50: 607-616. doi:doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02025.x
21. Gesten, E. L., Rains, M. H., Rapkin, B. D., Weissberg, R. P., Flores de Apocada, R., Cowen, E. L. and Bowen, R. 1982. Training children in social problem-solving competencies: A first and second look. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10: 95-115. doi:doi:10.1007/BF00903307
22. Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., & Bumbarger, B. (2001). The prevention of mental disorders in school-aged children: Current state of the field. Prevention & Treatment, 4(1). http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume4/pre0040001a.html
23. Grossman, D. C., Neckerman, H. J., Koepsell, T. D., Ping-Yu, L., Asher, K., Beland, K., et al. (1997). Effectiveness of a violence prevention curriculum among children in elementary school: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1605-1611. http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/277/20/1605.full.pdf+html
24. Guerra, N. G., Boxer, P. and Cook, C. R. 2006. What works (and what does not) in youth violence prevention: Rethinking the questions and finding new answers. New Directions for Evaluation, 110: 59-71. doi:doi:10.1002/ev.187
25. Guerra, N. G. and Leidy, M. S. 2008. Lessons learning: Recent advances in understanding and preventing childhood aggression. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 36: 287-303.
26. Hahn, R., Fuqua-Whitley, D., Wethington, H., Lowy, J., Liberman, A.Crosby, A. 2007. The effectiveness of universal school-based programs to prevent violent and aggressive behavior: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33: S114-S129. doi:doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.012
27. Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Kosterman, R., Abbott, R., & Hill, K. G. (1999). Preventing adolescent health-risk behaviors by strengthening protection during childhood. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 153, 226-234. http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/153/3/226
28. Hedges, L. V. and Olkin, I. 1985. Statistical methods for meta-analysis, New York, NY: Academic Press.
29. Henry, D. B. 2008. "Changing classroom social settings through attention to norms". In Towards positive youth development: Transforming schools and community programs, Edited by: Shinn, M. and Yoshikawa, H. 40-57. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
30. Henry, D., Guerra, N., Huesmann, R., Tolan, P., Van Acker, R. and Eron, R. 2000. Normative influences on aggression in urban elementary school classrooms. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28: 59-81. doi:doi:10.1023/A:1005142429725
31. Hoglund, W. L. and Leadbeater, B. J. 2004. The effects of family, school, and classroom ecologies on changes in children's social competence and emotional and behavioral problems in first grade. Developmental Psychology, 40: 533-544. doi:doi:10.1037/0012-1649.40.4.533
32. Howard, K. A., Flora, J. and Griffin, M. 1999. Violence-prevention programs in schools: State of the science and implications for future research. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 8: 197-215. doi:doi:10.1016/S09627-1849(05)80077-0
33. Huesmann, L. R. 1988. An information processing model for the development of aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 14: 13-24. doi:doi:10.1002/1098-2337(1988)14:1<13::AID-AB2480140104>3.0.CO;2-J
34. Huesmann, L. R. and Eron, L. D. 1984. Cognitive processes and the persistence of aggressive behavior. Aggressive Behavior, 10: 243-251. doi:doi:10.1002/1098-2337(1984)10:3<243::AID-AB2480100308>3.0.CO;2-6
35. Huesmann, L. R. and Guerra, N. G. 1997. Children's normative beliefs about aggression and aggressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72: 408-419. doi:doi:10.1037/0022-3514.72.2.408
36. Hundert, J., Boyle, M. H., Cunningham, C. E., Duku, E., Heale, J.McDonald, J. 1999. Helping children adjust: A Tri-Ministry Study: II. Program effects. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry., 40: 1061-1073. doi:doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00524
37. Hunter, L., Elias, M. J. and Norris, J. 2001. School based violence prevention: Challenges and lessons learned from an action research project. Journal of School Psychology, 39: 161-175. doi:doi:0022-4405/01
38. Ialongo, N., Werthamer, L., Kellam, S. G., Brown, C. H., Wang, S. and Lin, Y. 1999. Proximal impact of two first grade preventive interventions on the early risk behaviors for later substance abuse, depression and antisocial behavior. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27: 599-641. doi:doi:0091-0562/99/1000-0599
39. Jagers, R. J., Morgan-Lopez, A., Howard, T., Browne, D. C. and Flay, B. R. 2007. Mediators of the development and prevention of youth violent behavior. Prevention Science, 8: 171-179. doi:doi:10.1007/s11121-007-0067-4
40. Jones, S. M., Brown, J. L., Hoglund, W. L. and Aber, L. J. 2010. A school-randomized clinical trial of an integrated social-emotional learning and literacy intervention: Impacts after one school year. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78: 829-842. doi:doi:10.1037/a0021383
41. Lipsey, M. W. and Wilson, D. B. 2001. Practical meta-analysis, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
42. Kellam, S. G., Ling, X., Merisca, R., Brown, C. H. and Ialongo, N. 1998. The effect of the level of aggression in the first grade classroom on the course and malleability of aggressive behavior into middle school. Developmental and Psychopathology, 10: 165-185. doi:doi:10.1017/S0954579498001564
43. Kellam, S. G., Mayer, L. S., Rebok, G. W. and Hawkins, W. E. 1998. "Effects of improving achievement on aggressive behavior and of improving aggressive behavior on achievement through two preventive interventions: An investigation of causal paths". In Adversity, stress, and psychopathology, Edited by: Dohrenwend, B. P. 486-505. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
44. Kellam, S. G., Rebok, G. W., Ialongo, N. and Mayer, L. S. 1994. The course and malleability of aggressive behavior from early first grade into middle school: Results of a developmental epidemiologically based preventive trial aimed at improving achievement. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 35: 259-281. doi:doi:0021-9630/94
45. Klatzky, R. L. 1980. Human memory, San Francisco, CA: Freeman.
46. Leadbeater, B., Hoglund, W. and Woods, T. 2003. Changing contexts? The effects of a primary prevention program on classroom levels of peer relationship and physical victimization. Journal of Community Psychology, 31: 397-418. doi:doi:10.1002/jcop.10057
47. Lemerise, E. and Arsenio, W. 2000. An integrated model of emotion processes and cognition in social information processing. Child Development, 71: 107-118. doi:doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00124
48. Lipsey, M. W. and Wilson, D. B. 2001. Practical meta-analysis, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
49. MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., Hoffman, J. M., West, S. G. and Sheets, V. 2002. A comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. Psychological Methods, 7: 83-104. doi:doi:10.1037/1082-989X.7.1.83
50. MacKinnon, D. P. 2008. Introduction to statistical mediation analysis, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
51. McClowry, S., Snow, D. L. and Tamis-LeMonda, C. S. 2005. An evaluation of the effects of INSIGHTS on the behavior of inner city primary school children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 26: 567-584. doi:doi:10.1007/s10935-005-0015-7
52. Metropolitan Area Child Study Research Group. 2002. A cognitive-ecological approach to preventing aggression in urban settings: Initial outcomes for high-risk children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70: 179-194. doi:doi:10.1037//0022-006X.70.1.179
53. Metropolitan Area Child Study Research Group. 2007. Social-cognitive effects of a preventive intervention for urban early elementary school children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75: 160-167. doi:doi:10.1037/0022-006X.75.1.160
54. McMahon, S. D., Washburn, J., Felix, E. D., Yakin, J. and Childrey, G. 2000. Violence prevention: Program effects on urban preschool and kindergarten children. Applied & Preventive Psychology, 9: 271-281. doi:doi:10.1016/S0962-1849(00)80004-9
55. Mihalic, S., Fagan, A., Irwin, K. and Ballard, D. 2004. Blueprints for violence prevention, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
56. Miller, G. E., Brehm, K., & Whitehouse, S. (1998). Reconceptualizing school-based violence prevention for antisocial behavior within a resiliency framework. School Psychology Review, 27, 364-379. http://www.nasponline.org/publications/spr/sprmain.aspx
57. Nelson, G. and Carson, P. 1988. Evaluation of a social problem-solving skills program for third-and fourth-grade students. American Journal of Community Psychology, 16: 79-99. doi:doi:10.1007/BF00906073
58. Olexa, D. F., & Forman, S. G. (1984). Effects of social problem-solving training on classroom behavior of urban disadvantaged students. Journal of School Psychology, 22, 165-175. http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.cc.uic.edu/science/journal/00224405
59. Park-Higgerson, H., Perumean-Chaney, S. E., Bartolucci, A. A., Grimley, D. M. and Singh, K. P. 2008. The evaluation of school-based violence prevention programs: A meta-analysis. Journal of School Health, 78: 465-479. doi:doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00332.x
60. Prinz, R. J., Blechman, E. A. and Dumas, J. E. (1994). An evaluation of peer coping-skills training for childhood aggression. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 23193-204. doi:doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2302_8
61. Rebok, G. W., Hawkins, W. E., Krener, P., Mayer, L. S. and Kellam, S. G. 1996. The effect of concentration problems on the malleability of children's aggressive and shy behaviors. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35: 193-203. doi:doi:10.1097/00004583-199602000-00013
62. Reid, J. B., Eddy, J. M., Fetrow, R. A. and Stoolmiller, M. 1999. Description and immediate impacts of a preventive intervention for conduct problems. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27: 483-517. doi:doi:0091-0562/99/0800-0483
63. Reid, J. B., Peterson, A., Hughey, J. and Garcia-Reid, P. 2006. School climate and adolescent drug use: Mediating effects of violence victimization in the urban high school context. Journal of Primary Prevention, 27: 281-292. doi:doi:10.1007/s10935-006-0035-y
64. Rubin, K. H., Bream, L. A. and Rose-Krasnor, L. 1991. "Social problem-solving and aggression in childhood". In The development and treatment of childhood aggression, Edited by: Pepler, D. J. and Rubin, K. H. 219-248. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
65. Shapiro, J., Burgoon, J. D., Welker, C. J. and Clough, J. B. 2002. Evaluation of The Peacemakers Program: School-based violence prevention for students in grades four through eight. Psychology in the Schools, 39: 87-100. doi:doi:10.1002/pits.10040
66. Shure, M. B. and Spivack, G. 1980. Interpersonal problem solving as a mediator of behavioral adjustment preschool and kindergarten children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 1: 29-44. doi:doi:10.1016/0193-3973(80)90060-X
67. Smokowski, P. R., Fraser, M. W., Day, S. H., Galinsky, M. J. and Bacallao, M. L. 2004. School-based skills training to prevent aggressive behavior and peer rejection in childhood: Evaluating the Making Choices program. Journal of Primary Prevention, 25: 233-251. doi:doi:0278-095X/04/1000-0233/0
68. Solomon, D., Battistich, V., Kim, D. and Watson, M. 1996. Classroom practices associated with students' sense of community. Social Psychology of Education, 3: 235-267. doi:doi:10.1007/BF02339892
69. Stage, S. A. and Quiroz, D. R. 1997. A meta-analysis of interventions to decrease disruptive classroom behavior in public education settings. School Psychology Review, 26: 333-369.
70. Stoolmiller, M. J., Eddy, M. and Reid, J. B. 2002. Detecting and describing preventive intervention effects in a universal school-based randomized trial targeting delinquent and violent behavior. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68: 296-306. doi:doi:10.I037//0022-006X.68.Z.296
71. Thornton, T. N., Craft, C. A., Dahlberg, L. L., Lynch, B. S. and Baer, K. 2002. Best practices of youth violence prevention: A sourcebook for community action (rev.), Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
72. Tolan, P. H., & Guerra, N. G. (1994). What works in reducing adolescent violence: An empirical review of the field. Retrieved from the Center for the Study of Prevention of Violence website http://cospl.coalliance.org/fez/eserv/co:5327/ucb61092ad72002internet.pdf
73. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2001. Youth violence: A report of the surgeon general, Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U. S. Public Health Service.
74. Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., Pagani, L., Tremblay, R. E. and McDuff, P. 1999. Disruptive behavior, peer association, and conduct disorder: Testing the developmental links through early intervention. Development and Psychopathology, 11: 287-304.
75. Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M. and Tremblay, R. E. 2001. Preventive intervention: Assessing its effects on the trajectories of delinquency and testing for mediational processes. Applied Developmental Science, 5: 201-213. doi:doi:0009-3920/97/6804-005
76. Weissberg, R. P., Gesten, E. L., Carnrike, C. L., Toro, P. A., Rapkin, B. D., Davidson, E. and Cowen, E. L. 1981. Social problem-solving skills training: a competence building intervention with second to fourth grade children. American Journal of Community Psychology, 9: 411-424. doi:doi:10.1007/BF00918172
77. Weissberg, R. P., Gesten, E. L., Rapkin, B. D., Cowen, E., L, Davidson, E.de Apodaca, R. F. 1981. The evaluation of a social problem-solving training program for suburban and inner-city third grade children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49: 251-261. doi:doi:0022-006X/81/4902-025I
78. Werthamer-Larsson, L., Kellam, S. and Wheeler, L. 1991. Effect of first-grade classroom environment on shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19: 585-602. doi:doi:10.1007/BF00937993
79. Williams, K., Rivera, L., Neighbors, R. and Reznik, V. 2007. Youth violence prevention comes of age: Research, training and future directions. Annual Review of Public Health, 28: 195-211. doi:doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.28.021406.14411
80. Wilson, D. B., Gottfredson, D. C. and Najaka, S. S. 2001. School-based prevention of problem behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 17: 247-272. doi:doi:10.1023/A:1011050217296
81. Wilson, S. J., & Lipsey, M. W. (2006). The effects of school-based social information processing interventions on aggressive behavior: Part I: Universal programs. Campbell Collaboration. http://www.campbellcollaboration.org/ECG/titles.asp
82. Wilson, S. J. and Lipsey, M. W. 2007. School-based interventions for aggressive and disruptive behavior: Update of a meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 33: S130-S143. doi:doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.011
83. Winer, J. I., Hilpert, P. L., Gesten, E. L., Cowen, E. L. and Schubin, W. E. 1982. The evaluation of a kindergarten social problem-solving program. Journal of Primary Prevention, 2: 205-216. doi:doi:0278=095X(82)1400-020