TY - JOUR
T1 - Initial Behavior Outcomes for the PeaceBuilders Universal School-Based Violence Prevention Program
AU - Flannery, Daniel J.
AU - Vazsonyi, Alexander T.
AU - Liau, Albert K.
AU - Guo, Shenyang
AU - Powell, Kenneth E.
AU - Atha, Henry
AU - Vesterdal, Wendy
AU - Embry, Dennis
PY - 2003/3
Y1 - 2003/3
N2 - PeaceBuilders is a universal, elementary-school-based violence prevention program that attempts to alter the climate of a school by teaching students and staff simple rules and activities aimed at improving child social competence and reducing aggressive behavior. Eight matched schools (N > 4,000 students in Grades K-5) were randomly assigned to either immediate postbaseline intervention (PBI) or to a delayed intervention 1 year later (PBD). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze results from assessments in the fall and spring of 2 consecutive school years. In Year 1, significant gains in teacher-rated social competence for students in Grades K-2, in child self-reported peace-building behavior in Grades K-5, and reductions in aggressive behavior in Grades 3-5 were found for PBI but not PBD schools.Differential effects in Year 1 were also observed for aggression and prosocial behavior. Most effects were maintained in Year 2 for PBI schools, including increases in child prosocial behavior in Grades K-2. Implications for early universal school-based prevention and challenges related to evaluating large-scale prevention trials are discussed.
AB - PeaceBuilders is a universal, elementary-school-based violence prevention program that attempts to alter the climate of a school by teaching students and staff simple rules and activities aimed at improving child social competence and reducing aggressive behavior. Eight matched schools (N > 4,000 students in Grades K-5) were randomly assigned to either immediate postbaseline intervention (PBI) or to a delayed intervention 1 year later (PBD). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze results from assessments in the fall and spring of 2 consecutive school years. In Year 1, significant gains in teacher-rated social competence for students in Grades K-2, in child self-reported peace-building behavior in Grades K-5, and reductions in aggressive behavior in Grades 3-5 were found for PBI but not PBD schools.Differential effects in Year 1 were also observed for aggression and prosocial behavior. Most effects were maintained in Year 2 for PBI schools, including increases in child prosocial behavior in Grades K-2. Implications for early universal school-based prevention and challenges related to evaluating large-scale prevention trials are discussed.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85047686985
U2 - 10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.292
DO - 10.1037/0012-1649.39.2.292
M3 - Article
C2 - 12661887
AN - SCOPUS:85047686985
SN - 0012-1649
VL - 39
SP - 292
EP - 308
JO - Developmental Psychology
JF - Developmental Psychology
IS - 2
ER -