Amanda B. Nickerson

Parent and Peer Attachment in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence

This study investigated child and early adolescent relationships with parents and peers within the theoretical framework of attachment. A cross-sectional sample of 279 fourth, sixth, and eighth graders completed two self-report measures assessing attachment to parents and friends. Fourth graders described more trusting and communicative relationships with parents than sixth or eighth graders. Older early adolescents turned to peers to fulfill attachment functions of proximity seeking and safe haven more often than children, although all participants reported that parents primarily served secure base functions. Females reported more trust, communication, and overall attachment to peers than males. Grade, sex, and views of attachment relationships to parents and peers predicted the introduction of friends into the attachment hierarchy. Participants who viewed relationships with parents as less secure were more likely to select peers to fulfill attachment functions. The important and complementary roles of parents and peers and their implications are discussed.

Attachment and empathy as predictors of roles as defenders or outsiders in bullying interactions

Bullying almost always occurs in the presence of peers, most of whom do not intervene to stop it. This study examined the role of attachment, empathy, and gender in predicting the behavior of 105 middle school students who reported being either (a) defenders who actively intervened to stop bullying, or (b) outsiders who were either not involved or stood by passively. It was hypothesized that gender, attachment to mother, attachment to father, and empathy would predict whether children nominated themselves as defenders in bullying situations. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis indicated that these variables together significantly predicted whether children nominated themselves as defenders or outsiders. Gender was not a unique significant predictor. Attachment to mother contributed significant unique variance to the model, but attachment to father did not after accounting for gender and attachment to mother. Empathy contributed significant unique variance to the model even after accounting for all other variables. Results suggest that middle school personnel should openly discuss with students their roles in bullying interactions. In addition, teaching empathy towards others and involving parents may be critical components in comprehensive prevention programs.

Promising Approaches to Engaging Families and Building Strengths in Residential Treatment.

ABSTRACT In order to improve post-discharge outcomes for children, it has been proposed that residential treatment centers place a greater emphasis on engaging families and building on strengths of the youths in treatment. This review presents the theoretical and empirical support for several promising strategies for engaging families, such as behavioral parent training, parent support groups, and systems approaches. Approaches to building on strengths, such as strength-based assessment, supporting social network relationships, adventure-based learning, and service learning are also reviewed. Suggestions are provided for integrating these approaches to construct a model residential treatment program.

Strengthening Cultural Sensitivity in Children’s Disaster Mental Health Services

During and following natural or man-made disasters, relief efforts have a long history of initially focusing on basic survival needs, then restoring community stability. Disaster mental health is a relatively new aspect of relief efforts, particularly in regard to children’s needs. After reviewing objectives of major relief organizations and summarizing current research in light of practitioners’ input, suggestions and resources are offered to strengthen cultural sensitivity in school-based disaster mental health services.

Measurement of the bystander intervention model for bullying and sexual harassment

Although peer bystanders can exacerbate or prevent bullying and sexual harassment, research has been hindered by the absence of a validated assessment tool to measure the process and sequential steps of the bystander intervention model. A measure was developed based on the five steps of Latané and Darleys (1970) bystander intervention model applied to bullying and sexual harassment. Confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 562 secondary school students confirmed the five-factor structure of the measure. Structural equation modeling revealed that all the steps were influenced by the previous step in the model, as the theory proposed. In addition, the bystander intervention measure was positively correlated with empathy, attitudes toward bullying and sexual harassment, and awareness of bullying and sexual harassment facts. This measure can be used for future research and to inform intervention efforts related to the process of bystander intervention for bullying and sexual harassment.

Perceptions of School Climate as a Function of Bullying Involvement

From a social-ecological perspective, bullying exists within the larger context of school climate. In this study, 2,240 middle and high school students participated in a districtwide effort to assess the prevalence and effects of bullying and cyberbullying, as well as perceptions of school climate. Students reported positive school climate perceptions, although bullying was a prevalent occurrence. Types of bullying, effects on students, and coping strategies used varied across sex and school level, with girls reporting more experiences with cyberbullying than boys. Students involved in bullying as perpetrators, victims, or both had more negative perceptions of school climate, although this varied by specific aspect of climate studied. Chronicity of victimization also related to differences in perceptions of all aspects of school climate. Findings highlight the importance of understanding bullying within the larger context of school climate, with implications for prevention and intervention efforts.

Legislating School Crisis Response: Good Policy or Just Good Politics?

Over the past decade, a growing number of schools have responded to students’ safety and mental health needs following campus violence and other crises. More recently, policymakers have joined this trend, proposing legislation requiring schools to establish crisis response programs. This paper provides an overview of crisis response initiatives implemented by school districts following traumatic events, including school violence. It then examines recent state legislation and other policies, followed by a discussion of the advisability of such mandates, given the scant research and evaluation of school crisis response to date.

Influences on authoritarian and educational/therapeutic approaches to school violence prevention

ABSTRACT This study examined the use of two philosophical approaches to school violence prevention and the factors that influence the use of specific strategies. School policies, programs, and discipline strategies assessed by the School Survey of Crime and Safety (SSOCS) were categorized as authoritarian (i.e., restrict student autonomy through punitive discipline and assume a policing function) or educational/ therapeutic (i.e., involve students, parents, and teachers in improving behavior and school climate). Based on responses of the 2,270 school principals who completed the SSOCS, findings revealed that large, urban schools used both authoritarian and therapeutic approaches, such as security, violence prevention programs, and parent training. Rural schools used authoritarian practices, such as corporal punishment and suspension without services, more often than schools in other locations. Schools serving low SES students were more likely to use security, random metal detector checks, and corporal punishment, regardless of neighborhood crime levels. A greater number of mental health professionals predicted the use of violence prevention programs, student involvement in resolving problems, and parent training. Implications for practice and future research needs are discussed.

Empathetic responsiveness, group norms, and prosocial affiliations in bullying roles.

In this study, the relationships among gender, empathetic responsiveness, perceived group norms, prosocial affiliations, and bullying roles were examined for 262 fifth- through eighth-grade students (n = 141 males; n = 121 females). According to the Bullying Participant Roles Survey (BPRS), participants were identified as defenders (n = 135; 51.5%), victims (n = 48; 18.3%), bullies (n = 39; 14.9%), and outsiders (n = 26; 9.9%). Results of multinominal logistic regression revealed that empathetic responsiveness was a significant predictor of defending behavior and an inverse predictor of outsider behavior. Gender also predicted defending behavior, with boys being more likely to defend than girls. In addition, participants who indicated that their friends supported bullying were more likely to be involved in bullying perpetration and victimization. An unexpected interaction effect between prosocial affiliations and group norms indicated that girls who reported more probullying group norms but whose friends reported having more prosocial tendencies were more likely to assume roles of bullies and victims than outsiders. Implications for practice are outlined, including recommendations for antibullying initiatives.

School Antibullying Efforts: Advice for Education Policymakers

Bullying is now recognized internationally as a serious problem. In recent years, governments in numerous jurisdictions across North America have imposed new standards and requirements for schools related to bullying prevention. In order to meet these new demands, education policymakers can turn to a large and informative body of research on effective prevention and intervention practices. Six key recommendations for school policy that emerge from this bullying research are: (a) assess the prevalence of bullying, (b) develop a schoolwide antibullying policy, (c) provide schoolwide staff training, (d) implement evidence-based prevention programming, (e) build strong leadership support, and (f) use effective disciplinary practices.