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Mediators of Effects of a Selective Family-Focused Violence Prevention Approach for Middle School Students

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Abstract

This study examined how parenting and family characteristics targeted in a selective prevention program mediated effects on key youth proximal outcomes related to violence perpetration. The selective intervention was evaluated within the context of a multi-site trial involving random assignment of 37 schools to four conditions: a universal intervention composed of a student social-cognitive curriculum and teacher training, a selective family-focused intervention with a subset of high-risk students, a condition combining these two interventions, and a no-intervention control condition. Two cohorts of sixth-grade students (total N = 1,062) exhibiting high levels of aggression and social influence were the sample for this study. Analyses of pre-post change compared to controls using intent-to-treat analyses found no significant effects. However, estimates incorporating participation of those assigned to the intervention and predicted participation among those not assigned revealed significant positive effects on student aggression, use of aggressive strategies for conflict management, and parental estimation of student’s valuing of achievement. Findings also indicated intervention effects on two targeted family processes: discipline practices and family cohesion. Mediation analyses found evidence that change in these processes mediated effects on some outcomes, notably aggressive behavior and valuing of school achievement. Results support the notion that changing parenting practices and the quality of family relationships can prevent the escalation in aggression and maintain positive school engagement for high-risk youth.

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Notes

  1. The universal intervention consisted of a 20-session student curriculum and a teacher intervention that included training and ongoing consultation in violence prevention. The student portion emphasizes social-cognitive skills thought to reduce risk for violence perpetration, acceptance, and victimization (see Meyer et al. 2004 for detailed description). The teacher component focused on classroom management, support for stress in teaching, and problem-solving groups (see Orpinas et al. 2004 for detailed description).

  2. A table of descriptive statistics for this study is available from the corresponding author.

  3. Tables containing the full results of the unweighted and weighted mixed models are available from the corresponding author.

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  1. Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL, 60608, USA

    David B. Henry

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The Multisite Violence Prevention Project

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Correspondence to David B. Henry.

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The Multisite Violence Prevention Project

The Multisite Violence Prevention Project corporate author group includes the following individuals listed by sites (sites are arranged in alphabetical order, and variations in departments within sites are noted in parentheses): National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA: Thomas R. Simon, Robin M. Ikeda, Emilie Phillips Smith, Le’Roy E. Reese. Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University: David L. Rabiner, Shari Miller, Donna-Marie Winn, Kenneth A. Dodge, Steven R. Asher (Department of Psychology and Neuroscience). University of Georgia: Arthur M. Horne (Department of Counseling and Human Development Services), Pamela Orpinas (Department of Health Promotion and Behavior), Roy Martin (Department of Educational Psychology), William H. Quinn (Department of Child and Family Development). Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago: Patrick H. Tolan, Deborah Gorman-Smith, David B. Henry, Franklin N. Gay, Michael Schoeny. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University: Albert D. Farrell, Aleta L. Meyer, Terri N. Sullivan, Kevin W. Allison.

Emilie Phillips Smith is now at the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University. Le’Roy E. Reese is now at the Department of Community Health and Preventative Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine. Shari Miller is now at the Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC. Donna-Marie Winn is now at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. William H. Quinn is now at the College of Health, Education, and Human Development, Clemson University. Aleta L. Meyer is now at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, MD. Patrick H. Tolan is now at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia. Deborah Gorman-Smith and Michael Schoeny are now at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and David Henry is now at the Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago.

This study was funded by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Cooperative Agreements U81/CCU417759 (Duke University), U81/CCU517816 (University of Illinois at Chicago), U81/CCU417778 (University of Georgia), and U81/CCU317633 (Virginia Commonwealth University). The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to David B. Henry, Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1747 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60608, USA. E-mail: dhenry@uic.edu

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Henry, D.B., The Multisite Violence Prevention Project. Mediators of Effects of a Selective Family-Focused Violence Prevention Approach for Middle School Students. Prev Sci 13, 1–14 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-011-0245-2

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