John W. Eagle

Psychosocial correlates in bullying and victimization: The relationship between depression, anxiety, and bully/victim status

SUMMARY Examined differences between bullies, victims, and bully-victims on internalizing psychopathology (depression and anxiety). Participants included 133 (66 male and 67 female) sixth-grade students from a Midwestern middle school, ages ranging from 11 to 13 years old. The data presented are from the first two years of a five-year longitudinal study that began January of 1999. Initial results indicate differences between bullies, victims, bully-victims, and students without bully/victim problems (no status) in terms of depression and anxiety. Specifically, bully-victims and bullies were more likely to be depressed than victims and no status students. Bully-victims and victims were more likely to experience anxious symptoms than bullies and no status students. Thus, an interesting pattern emerged with respect to internalizing psychopathology along the bully/victim continuum. Bully-victims may be the most impaired subtype with respect to depression and anxiety. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed.

The Effects of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation: Results of a 4-Year Investigation

Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) is a structured indirect form of service delivery in which parents, teachers, and other support staff are joined to work together to address the academic, social, or behavioral needs of an individual for whom all parties bear some responsibility. In this article, outcome data from 4 years of federally funded projects in the area of CBC are presented. Thirty graduate students were trained in CBC and were responsible for providing consultation services to parents and teachers of students with disabilities or at risk for academic failure. Consultation clients included 52 students with disabilities such as behavior disorders, attention-defi cit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, and learning disabilities. The primary research objective concerned assessing the effi cacy of CBC across home and school settings. Secondarily, a prediction model was investigated based on client age, case complexity, and severity of symptoms. Perception of effectiveness, process acceptability, and consultee satisfaction with consultants was also investigated. Meaningful effect sizes were yielded across home and school settings. A model fi tting client age and symptom severity was found to predict school effect size relatively well. Consultees’ perceptions of effectiveness, acceptability of CBC, and satisfaction with consultants were also favorable. Implications of these fi ndings and directions for future research are explored.

Families as Contexts for Children’s Adaptation

During the past few decades, the landscape of the family structure has changed dramatically. The United States has seen a decrease in the “traditional” family, complete with two biological parents and consisting of one parent in the workforce and the other in a caregiver role. It is now being replaced with an ever-increasing diverse family structure. The population of children living with two parents has decreased to 69% in 2002, down from 72% in 1990 and 77% in 1980 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003). Single-parent families and stepparent families have become more common, despite the fact that children in single-parent or divorced families are at greater risk for lower academic achievement and more likely to drop out of school or bear children at an early age, as well as displaying psychological factors including depression, anxiety, stress, and aggression (Fields, Smith, Bass, & Lugaila, 2001; McLanahan & Sandefur, 1994).

Implementing a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS): Collaboration Between School Psychologists and Administrators to Promote Systems-Level Change

Current educational reform mandates the implementation of school-based models for early identification and intervention, progress monitoring, and data-based assessment of student progress. This article provides an overview of interdisciplinary collaboration for systems-level consultation within a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework. The roles of school psychologists and school-based administrators are presented in relation to the implementation of MTSS practices within an implementation science model. The training and expertise of each discipline are highlighted related to respective aspects of implementation drivers (i.e., competency, organization, leadership). Functions of principals and school psychologists during team-based, problem-solving MTSS practices are described based on a problem-solving framework consistent with school-based consultation. Future directions for graduate training of school psychologists and principals and directions for consultation research are provided.

Family Engagement Within Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Parent educational involvement is an important avenue for enhancing student outcomes. Schools seek myriad ways to include families; however, the parent involvement practices used by schools lack coordination and are disconnected from existing school approaches. Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a systematic and coordinated framework used in more than 19,000 schools to support student behavior. Despite its success, PBIS implementation underemphasizes comprehensive systems for engaging families. The purpose of this article is to present a framework of family engagement within PBIS. The purpose of coordinating and sequencing family engagement within PBIS is to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, and durability of PBIS by supporting students across settings. Furthermore, this model extends current parent involvement frameworks by coordinating systematic family engagement in education.

Identifying and Examining School Approaches to Family Engagement within Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine how schools implementing schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) were engaging families in their Tier I PBIS systems. In addition, reported implementation of practices and the availability of resources were examined in relation to fidelity of PBIS implementation. Participants included PBIS Leadership team representatives from 302 schools across three states. Findings revealed the most common ways in which schools (a) communicated with families about their PBIS systems, (b) worked with families to support PBIS at school, (c) supported family use of PBIS at home, and (d) built partnerships to support PBIS. Finally, communicating with families about PBIS and supporting families to help their child follow school expectations were related to fidelity of PBIS implementation. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Family Engagement in Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation.

The purpose of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to family engagement in schools implementing schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). Participants consisted of 1 representative member each from 204 school PBIS teams across 3 states. Qualitative analysis guided examination of responses to 1 question regarding barriers and 2 questions about facilitators to family engagement. Survey respondents identified key barriers to family engagement as a lack of resources, inconsistent communication, and reluctance of families and school staff to partner. Specified facilitators included communication, PBIS, shared decision-making, and strategies to build relationships with families.

The Role of Family and Cross-Setting Supports to Reduce Impairment and Promote Success

Families are a central and enduring support in their children’s lives. Within the family system are resources, capabilities, and the capacity to partner with teachers and other service providers to promote positive outcomes. The purpose of this chapter is twofold. First, a theoretical and conceptual foundation is provided. Second, empirically-validated practices are described that can be used by families and other key stakeholders to guide assessment and treatment planning for children and youth to reduce impairment and promote success across the lifespan.

The Role of Family and Situational Problems in Understanding and Reducing Impairment

Impairment has a widespread impact on family functioning, routines, activities, and relationships between family members. Families provide an invaluable resource in assessing and addressing the needs of individuals experiencing impairment as well as those of other family members. Impairment manifests itself in many ways, but all forms are contextually relevant. An ecological perspective provides an alternative conceptualization of impairment to a biological, medical model. This framework extends the focus of assessment and intervention beyond the individual to other contexts within which the individual interacts. Two of the most important contexts in which that children interact are the home and school environments. Families have a great deal of knowledge and expertise regarding an individuals level of behavioral, social, and academic functioning in multiple settings.