Disruptive Behavior
Conditions
Keywords
Strengths-based interventions, Help-giving, Youth prosociality, Disruptive behaviors, Discipline-referred middle-school youth
Brief summary
The study will examine the effects of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based behavioral intervention for discipline-referred middle-school youth who might benefit when trained to act as change agents for their peers. Successful completion of this study will provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth in prosocial peer engagement.
Detailed description
In this proposal, the investigators evaluate the effects of PCT, an approach that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on training youth to help their peers. In urban public school districts across the US, exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspension and expulsion) disproportionally affects Black and Latinx youth. Although many school-based interventions are promising, they overlook the motivational potential of helping others and fail to build on the culturally grounded prosocial orientation of Black and Latinx students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Peer Coach Training (PCT), a strengths-based intervention that deemphasizes existing problems and focuses instead on empowering youth to help their peers. A cluster randomized trial will be conducted across ten middle schools (n=150 youth), with schools randomized to either PCT or control (i.e., delayed treatment). Youth referred for disruptive behavior at intervention schools will receive PCT immediately, whereas youth at control schools will receive PCT nine months later. Outcomes related to disruptive and prosocial behavior, school engagement, and empowerment will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Successful completion of this trial will not only provide support for implementing PCT in school communities to empower youth prosocially, but also potentially validate an approach to reducing discipline disparities within school contexts.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPeer Coach Training (PCT)
Six to seven session strengths-based behavioral intervention focusing on skills development and help-giving practices
BEHAVIORALDelayed control
Services offered by middle schools for students according to their standard practice of care. These youth will then receive PCT after completion of follow-up assessments.
Sponsors
University of Southern California
Medical University of South Carolina
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Outcome assessors will not be given information on what intervention services the participants are receiving.
Intervention model description
Cluster randomized controlled trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
10 Years to 15 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Youth who have received at least one disciplinary referral between the first day of school and recruitment
Exclusion criteria
* Youth who have not received any disciplinary referrals between the first day of school and recruitment
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Problem Checklist | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 12-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth behavioral problems |
| Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 25-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems, and prosocial behavior, along with additional questions related to functioning |
| Teacher Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 45-item self-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder |
| School archival data of youth behavior and discipline | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | School archival records of behavioral and disciplinary outcomes such as the number of disciplinary referrals and citations, as well as suspensions and exclusions |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement versus disaffection with learning - student report | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 20-item self-report questionnaire that assesses youth behavioral and emotional engagement in learning |
| MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status - Youth Version | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessmentMacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status - Youth Version | 2-item self-report measure that assesses youths' perceived social status relative to society and peers in school |
| Moral Identity Internalization Scale | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 5-item self-report measure that assesses the degree to which a list of personal characteristics are important to an individual |
| Personal Efficacy Scale | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 10-item self-report measure that assesses an individual's perceived ability to deal with challenges and influence outcomes |
| Psychological Empowerment Indices - Youth School Belonging and Identification | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 6-item self-report measure that assesses school belonging and identification |
| Wentzel Prosocial Peer Goals and Compliance Goals Scales | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 22-item self-report measure that assesses the frequency youth work towards prosocial, compliance, mastery, and evaluation goals |
| Esbensen Gang Involvement Scale | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 20-item self-report measure that assesses the level of youth gang involvement and behaviors of the youths' friends |
| Possible selves survey | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | Self-report measure that assesses youths' future-oriented self-concept (expected, hoped-for, and feared selves) using open-ended prompts and a rating scale |
| Behavioral Problem Checklist - Youth Peer Assessment | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 12-item self-report questionnaire that assesses behavioral problems of the youths' peers |
| Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (Social Network Interview) | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 48-item interview that assesses youths' perceived social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and friends |
| Teacher Construals Indices | Baseline assessment, 3 months after baseline assessment, 8 months after baseline assessment | 23 self-report items that assesses teacher's commitment and feelings towards their students |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTStanley J Huey, Ph.D.
CONTACTJanus Wong, B.A.
Outcome results
None listed