WWC review of this study

Evaluation of violence prevention approaches among early adolescents: Moderating effects of disability status and gender

Sullivan, T. N., Sutherland, K. S., Farrell, A. D., Taylor, K. A., & Doyle, S. T. (2016). Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(4) 1151-1163.

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    203
     Students
    , grades
    6-8

Reviewed: February 2018

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Behavior outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Social Skills Improvement System: Bullying

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
202 students

6.97

7.27

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Externalizing Problems

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
201 students

20.42

21.46

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
188 students

21.57

21.90

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
203 students

15.31

16.73

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
203 students

16.01

17.81

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
186 students

15.20

14.38

No

--

Children's Anger Management Scale: Anger Regulation Subscale

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
183 students

10.20

9.94

No

--
Show Supplemental Findings

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
87 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
101 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
147 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
97 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
106 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students with disabilities;
44 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Overt Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
159 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
85 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
101 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- student reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
145 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
97 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
106 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students with disabilities;
44 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Problem Behavior Frequency Scales: Relational Aggression- teacher reported

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
159 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Externalizing Problems

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
96 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Externalizing Problems

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
105 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Externalizing Problems

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
158 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Bullying

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
96 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Bullying

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
106 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Bullying

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students with disabilities;
43 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement System: Bullying

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
159 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Children's Anger Management Scale: Anger Regulation Subscale

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
83 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Children's Anger Management Scale: Anger Regulation Subscale

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
95 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Children's Anger Management Scale: Anger Regulation Subscale

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
141 students

N/A

N/A

No

--
Social outcomes outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSiS): Social Skills

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
202 students

129.31

131.78

No

--
Show Supplemental Findings

Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSiS): Social Skills

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
96 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSiS): Social Skills

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
106 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSiS): Social Skills

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students with disabilities;
44 students

N/A

N/A

No

--

Social Skills Improvement Scale (SSiS): Social Skills

IES Funded Studies vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Students without disabilities;
158 students

N/A

N/A

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • Female: 52%
    Male: 48%

  • Urban
    • B
    • A
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
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    • J
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    • Z
    • Y
    • a
    • h
    • i
    • b
    • d
    • e
    • f
    • c
    • g
    • j
    • k
    • l
    • m
    • n
    • o
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    • w
    • y

    South
  • Race
    Black
    67%
    Other or unknown
    33%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    7%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    93%

Setting

The study was set in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade classrooms of an urban public middle school in the Southeast U.S. A total of 14 classes participated in the study of which 10 were included general and special education students and 4 were general education.

Study sample

Students were in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Forty-eight percent of students were male, 67% were African-American, 7% were Hispanic/Latino, 17% were multiracial, and 9% were another race. Students had an average age of 12.6 years, ranging from 11 to 15 years old. Forty-eight of the 231 students received special education services. Of these 48 students, 8% had a speech language impairment, 63% had learning disabilities, 21% had another health impairment, and 8% had emotional disturbance.

Intervention Group

Students in the intervention condition received the Second Step program in addition to OBPP (described below). Second Step is a set of supplementary lessons delivered by middle school teachers that cover bullying prevention topics, empathy and communication, emotional management, and problem solving. Seventh and eighth grade students also received lessons on sexual harassment and bullying in dating relationships.

Comparison Group

Students in the comparison condition received only OBPP. OBPP is a school-wide program that includes (1) student-level “on the spot” and follow-up interventions to address specific bullying incidents with specific students; (2) weekly 30- to 40-minute classroom discussions and experiential activities related to bullying; and (3) the creation of a school-wide Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee made up of school staff to monitor behavior expectations, the school environment, and school safety. Members of the committee attended a 2-day training on bullying behaviors and strategies to intervene in bullying, and then they conducted a full-day training for teachers and other school staff on bullying prevention.

Support for implementation

Teachers delivering the implementation received training on the Second Step curriculum from graduate students on an individual basis. Graduate students and study staff provided consultation as needed during the intervention. School staff received ongoing consultation on OBPP implementation from a certified OBPP trainer and study staff.

 

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