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Effectiveness of Treatment for Relational Aggression in Urban African American Girls
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified January 2010 by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

First Received on July 30, 2007.   Last Updated on January 22, 2010   History of Changes
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Information provided by: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00510094
  Purpose

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.


Condition Intervention Phase
Aggression
 Behavioral: Friend to Friend program
Behavioral: Psychoeducational attention control intervention
 Phase III

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Determining the Efficacy of a Relational Aggression Intervention for Urban African American Girls

Further study details as provided by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Peer nominations [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Playground observations [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Social Cognitive Assessment Profile [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Cartoon Based Hostile Attribution Bias Measure [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Knowledge of Anger Problem Solving (KAPS) [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment, and at 9 month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Discipline referrals and suspensions [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Academic Performance Rating Scale [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Homework Performance Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Asher-Wheeler Loneliness Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Iowa-Conner Aggression subscale [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Student-Teacher Relationship Scale [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at 9-month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Peer Ratings of Aggression and Prosocial Behavior [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Harter, Self-Perception Profile for Children [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment, and at 9 month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Peer Sympathy Scale [ Time Frame: Measured pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment, and at 9 month follow-up ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment: 140
Study Start Date: October 2007
Estimated Study Completion Date: April 2012
Estimated Primary Completion Date: April 2012 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: 1
Participants will receive the Friend to Friend program
 Behavioral: 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.
Other Name: Relational aggression intervention
Active Comparator: 2
Participants will receive the psychoeducational attention control intervention
 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.
Other Name: Homework and study skills intervention

Detailed Description:

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.

  Eligibility

Genders Eligible for Study:   Female
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Schools :

  • 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

Inclusion Criteria for Participants:

  • In the 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade
  • Meets diagnostic criteria for relational aggression

Exclusion Criteria for Participants:

  • Enrolled in special education and not integrated into a regular education classroom
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00510094

Contacts
Contact: Stephen S. Leff, PhD 215-590-7067 Leff@email.chop.edu

Locations
United States, Pennsylvania
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Recruiting
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
Contact: Brooke Paskewich, MS     215-590-3193     Paskewich@email.chop.edu    
Principal Investigator: Stephen S. Leff, PhD            
Sub-Investigator: Thomas J. Power, PhD            
Sub-Investigator: Abbas Jawad, PhD            
Sponsors and Collaborators
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Stephen S. Leff, PhD Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
  More Information

Publications:
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.
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.
Leff, S. S., Ph.D., Gullan, R.L., Paskewich, B. S., Abdul-Kabir S., Jawad, A. F., Grossman, M., Munro, M. A., & Power, T. J. (2009). An initial evaluation of a culturally-adapted social problem solving and relational aggression prevention program for urban African American relationally aggressive girls. Journal of Prevention and Intervention in the Community, 37, 1-15.
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.
Gullan, R.L., Feinberg, B.E., Freedman, M.A., Jawad, A., & Leff, S.S. (2009). Using participatory action research to design an intervention integrity system in the urban schools. School Mental Health, 1, 118-130.

Responsible Party: Stephen S. Leff, PhD, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00510094     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: R01 MH075787, DSIR 84-CTS
Study First Received: July 30, 2007
Last Updated: January 22, 2010
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):
Social Skills
Anger Management
Relational Aggression

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Aggression
Behavioral Symptoms

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on February 12, 2012



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