The impact of a middle school program to reduce aggression, victimization, and sexual violence

J Adolesc Health. 2013 Aug;53(2):180-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.02.021. Epub 2013 May 1.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of the Second Step: Student Success Through Prevention (SS-SSTP) Middle School Program on reducing youth violence including peer aggression, peer victimization, homophobic name calling, and sexual violence perpetration and victimization among middle school sixth-grade students.

Methods: The study design was a nested cohort (sixth graders) longitudinal study. We randomly assigned 18 matched pairs of 36 middle schools to the SS-SSTP or control condition. Teachers implemented 15 weekly lessons of the sixth-grade curriculum that focused on social emotional learning skills, including empathy, communication, bully prevention, and problem-solving skills. All sixth graders (n = 3,616) in intervention and control conditions completed self-report measures assessing verbal/relational bullying, physical aggression, homophobic name calling, and sexual violence victimization and perpetration before and after the implementation of the sixth-grade curriculum.

Results: Multilevel analyses revealed significant intervention effects with regard to physical aggression. The adjusted odds ratio indicated that the intervention effect was substantial; individuals in intervention schools were 42% less likely to self-report physical aggression than students in control schools. We found no significant intervention effects for verbal/relational bully perpetration, peer victimization, homophobic teasing, and sexual violence.

Conclusions: Within a 1-year period, we noted significant reductions in self-reported physical aggression in the intervention schools. Results suggest that SS-SSTP holds promise as an efficacious prevention program to reduce physical aggression in adolescent youth.

Keywords: Aggression; Middle schools; Randomized clinical trial; Social-emotional learning.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Aggression / psychology*
  • Anger
  • Bullying / psychology*
  • Child
  • Crime Victims / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Internal-External Control
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Midwestern United States
  • Peer Group
  • Problem Solving
  • Program Evaluation
  • School Health Services / organization & administration*
  • Sex Offenses / prevention & control*
  • Sex Offenses / psychology*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / prevention & control