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Evaluation of a multidimensional program for sixth‐graders in transition from elementary to middle school
Author(s) -
Greene Ross W.,
Ollendick Thomas H.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(199304)21:2<162::aid-jcop2290210208>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - psychology , normative , vulnerability (computing) , anxiety , aggression , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , incentive , social support , developmental psychology , social psychology , psychiatry , philosophy , computer security , epistemology , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , microeconomics
The transition from elementary to middle school has been characterized as one of many “normative life crises” that involves both an increased opportunity for psychological growth and a heightened vulnerability to psychological disturbance. In the present study, students evincing a poor academic transition to middle school were placed into one of two 15‐week treatment conditions. The “full‐treatment” condition consisted of group support (including training in problem‐solving and social skills, goal‐setting, self‐monitoring, and incentives), parental support, and increased teacher support; the “partial‐treatment” condition consisted of heightened teacher support only. A contrast group of good academic transition students was included in the study for comparative purposes. Measures of depression, anxiety, stress, and self‐esteem were administered to students at pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow‐up, and behavior problem checklists were completed by teachers at the same points in time. At pretreatment, important differences were found between treatment and comparison students, most notably along behavioral and academic dimensions. Following treatment, the full‐treatment group showed a significant improvement in grade point average (GPA), depression, and teacher‐reported behavior problems (e.g., socialized aggression). The results of the present study are discussed relative to the findings of other prevention efforts, and directions for future research are considered.