Skills for Social and Academic Success: A School-Based Intervention for Social Anxiety Disorder in Adolescents

This paper describes Skills for Academic and Social Success (SASS), a cognitive–behavioral, school-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder. Clinic-based treatment studies for socially anxious youth are reviewed, and a strong rationale for transporting empirically-based interventions into schools, such as SASS, is provided. The SASS program consists of 12, 40-min group sessions that emphasize social skills and in-vivo exposure. In addition to group sessions, students are seen individually at least twice and participate in 4 weekend social events with prosocial peers from their high schools. Meetings with teachers provide information about social anxiety and facilitate classroom exposures for socially anxious participants. Parents attend 2 psychoeducational meetings about social anxiety, its treatment, and approaches for managing their childs anxiety. Initial findings regarding the programs effectiveness are presented. We conclude by discussing the challenges involved in implementing treatment protocols in schools and provide suggestions to address these issues.     

The relationship between viewing US-produced television programs and intentions to drink alcohol among a group of Norwegian adolescents

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of exposure to US-produced television programs and family rules prohibiting alcohol use on the development of normative beliefs, expectancies, and intentions to drink alcohol in the next 12 months among a group of Norwegian adolescents who reported that they had not previously consumed alcohol. Data were collected via a survey administered to 622 eighth and ninth graders enrolled at ten junior highs in southeastern Norway. To examine these relationships we tested the fit of a structural equation model which was based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1988). Data from the non-drinkers (n= 392, 63% of the respondents) were used. To control for the influence of peer drinking on behavioral intentions, our model was tested under two group conditions: (1) those subjects reporting that they have no friends who drink alcohol and (2) those subjects reporting that they have one or more friends who drink. The findings indicate that the influence of TV exposure was a significant predictor (directly) of normative beliefs, expectancies (indirectly) and intentions to drink (both directly and indirectly) only for those subjects who reported having no friends who drink. For the group with non-drinking friends, family rules constrain intentions only indirectly by influencing normative beliefs. For those with friends who drink, however, family rules have a direct (inverse) effect on intentions. It is concluded that exposure to US-produced television programs functions as a limited knowledge source only for those subjects who had little or no personal experience with alcohol while the presence of family rules have limited impact on behavioral intentions.     

Do parents and adolescents differ in their perceptions of rearing styles? Analysis of the EMBU versions for parents and adolescents

In the present study, memories of rearing styles between parents, mother and father, and their son/daughters were explored through the EMBU versions for parents (EMBU-P) and adolescents (EMBU-A). Results show that parents differ in three of the four scales of the EMBU: Emotional Warmth, Control Attempts, and Favoring Subject. Also, mothers score higher on Emotional Warmth, and Control Attempts, but less on Favoring Subject. When parents and adolescents were compared in the common items to both versions, no substantial differences were found, except for the Favoring Subject scale. The sex of the adolescent seems not to play a relevant role in the observed differences. A revision of specialized literature suggested that differences in the fathers' and mothers' perceptions of their rearing styles could be related to differences in personality and marital satisfaction. These hypothetical relationships should be investigated in a parallel study.     

Differential Effectiveness of Behavioral Parent-Training and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Antisocial Youth: A Meta-Analysis

Extended the findings from previous meta-analytic work by comparing the effectiveness of behavioral parent-training (BPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for youth with antisocial behavior problems. Youth demographic variables were also examined as potential moderators of the effectiveness of these 2 types of interventions. Thirty BPT studies and 41 CBT studies met inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The weighted mean effect size (ES) for all interventions was 0.40. Youth age was found to moderate the outcome of the 2 interventions, with BPT having a stronger effect for preschool and school-aged youth and CBT having a stronger effect for adolescents. The results also indicate that there may be systematic differences in the outcomes associated with BPT and CBT when the setting of the intervention is considered, suggesting the need to carefully consider the effect of setting in future research. This study also highlights the need for outcome research dealing with more diverse populations and the better classification of research participants on different developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior.     

A Mediated-Moderation Model of Maternal Parenting Style,Association with Deviant Peers,and Problem Behaviors in Urban African American and European American Adolescents

We examined a model positing that association with deviant peers mediates the relation between perceived maternal parenting style, represented by the dimensions demandingness, responsiveness, and their interaction, and problem behaviors in an urban sample of 82 African American and 56 European American young adolescents. Regression analyses revealed that the data are consistent with a model where association with deviant peers mediates the relation between maternal responsiveness and problem behaviors for European Americans and African American males. In addition, a responsiveness by demandingness interaction was found for European Americans. Only the relation between association with deviant peers and problem behaviors was supported for African American females. The results suggest that ethnic and gender variables might interact with pathways from parenting to association with deviant peers and problem behaviors and that the dimensions of parenting might not be equal in their salience.     

Family Ritual and Routine: Comparison of Clinical and Non-Clinical Families

Research demonstrates that the constructive use of family rituals is reliably linked to family health and to psychosocial adjustment. This study explores the relationship between family rituals and child well-being. Two samples participated: 21 families whose adolescent was receiving psychiatric treatment and 21 families in which the adolescent was a public school student. A parent and the adolescent were individually interviewed regarding family rituals and completed standardized measures of adolescent and family functioning. Analyses demonstrated that, in addition to significant sample differences in the expected direction on measures of functioning, the non-clinical families scored significantly higher on the index of family rituality than did the treatment families; this is additional evidence that family rituals are a correlate of child well-being. Further analysis of the data pointed to “people resources” as a robust dimension in its association to adolescent functioning. The role family ritual and routine plays in defining family relationships, both within the nuclear family and with other important adults, was significantly related to clinical status. This work may point to an important, yet overlooked, dimension of family ritual life, the relational qualities of rituals and routines.     

Parent–Adolescent Agreement on Disruptive Behavior Symptoms: A Multitrait-Multimethod Model

This study examined parent–adolescent agreement on reports of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and conduct disorder in 203 adolescents (94 girls, 109 boys) ranging in age from 13 to 18 years (M = 15.21, SD = 1.37). Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided additional evidence of construct validity for these traits in adolescents. Internal consistency was examined for parent reports and adolescent self-reports. In addition, correlational analyses were used in a multitrait-multimethod format (MTMM; D. T. Campbell & D. W. Fiske, 1959) to examine convergent and discriminant validity. Results showed that parents provided more consistent and valid reports of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, whereas adolescents provided more consistent and valid reports of conduct disorder. In addition, interviews produced higher levels of convergence than rating scales. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for assessment of disruptive behavior disorders.     

Middle school students’ perceptions of quality of life

Data are reported on 2278 public middle school students in South Carolina, U.S.A. Levels and demographic effects on their satisfaction with their overall lives as well as five specific domains (family, friends, self, school, and living environment) were assessed. Similar to findings with adults and high school students, most middle schoolers reported positive levels of global and domain-specific life satisfaction. Although statistically significant in some cases, the practical significance of the demographic variables was limited. Many middle schoolers reported particular dissatisfaction with their school experiences.     

School-Based Intervention for Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder: Results of a Controlled Study

Social anxiety disorder, whose onset peaks in adolescence, is associated with significant impairment. Despite the availability of effective treatments, few affected youth receive services. Transporting interventions into schools may circumvent barriers to treatment. The efficacy of a school-based intervention for social anxiety disorder was examined in a randomized wait-list control trial of 35 adolescents (26 females). Independent evaluators, blind to treatment condition, evaluated participants at preintervention, postintervention, and 9 months later. Adolescents in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater reductions than controls in social anxiety and avoidance, as well as significantly improved overall functioning. In addition, 67% of treated subjects, compared to 6% of wait-list participants, no longer met criteria for social phobia following treatment. Findings support the possible efficacy of school-based intervention for facilitating access to treatment for socially anxious adolescents.     

Fulfilling the Promise of School-Based Mental Health: Moving Toward a <Emphasis Type="Italic">Public Mental Health Promotion</Emphasis> Approach

School-based mental health (SBMH) programs and services are growing progressively in the United States for many reasons. However, the SBMH field is young and tenuously supported, and challenges are being confronted on many levels. There are major needs to continue to bring research-supported interventions into schools, and to better equip educators and mental health programs and staff in schools to function effectively. Articles in this special issue present the many challenges well and point to important directions for advancing SBMH. To truly advance the field a Public Mental Health Promotion approach is needed. Elements of this approach, in advancing training, quality assessment and improvement (including empirically supported practice), and advocacy and policy influence are discussed, as are strategic connections to the Community Science perspective and to the development of a growing Community of Practice in SBMH.