PREVENTION RESEARCH WITH AGGRESSIVE, REJECTED CHILDREN

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This is a request for an ADAMHA RSA. The long range goal of this project is to reduce the incidence of multiple forms of disorder in a population of black, urban preadolescents who are at risk because of chronic problems in relating effectively with their peers. Chief among the causes of these problems is that of excessive aggressiveness. One goal of he project is to continue a longitudinal follow-up of three large cohorts on whom data on peer relations, social behavior and achievement were obtained at several points in preadolescence. Adolescent adjustment is assessed from multiple sources on delinquency, school problems, and psychological disorder. Initial analyses of early adolescent adjustment support the hypothesis that aggressive, rejected children are at significantly greater risk for disorder than other children. Two intervention programs are proposed. One is designed to have impact on parents and teachers as well as aggressive, rejected children. The second involves a series of investigations of intervention methods with highly aggressive dyads, first in experimental small groups and then in school settings. The goal of these latter studies is to alter hostile attributions between dyad members and determine whether methods that reduce aggression within dyads are also successful in reducing aggression toward members of the larger peer group. The direction of this research is toward greater attention to the social systems in which risk children interact. One purpose is seeking this award is to have greater time available for developing methods for analyzing dyadic and group behavior from the extensive set of video records of preadolescent group behavior. Closely related to this goal is opportunity to analyze the process by which focused change in aggression takes place within these same groups. On immediate plan for the professional growth of the PI is to acquire greater expertise in recent developments in data analytic methods appropriate for longitudinal, epidemiological data sets. A longer term goal is to prepare for research on the development of emotional control. At present, the primary emphasis of aggression research has been on cognitive mediation factors and social skill deficits. While these are closely related to emotional regulation issues, it is clear that the monitoring and self-regulation of affect is critical to social adjustment.