Peer Experiences in Short-Term Residential Treatment: Individual and Group-Moderated Prediction of Behavioral Responses to Peers and Adults

Abstract

This research examined the independent and interactional contributions of peer experiences and group aggression to youth behavioral adjustment in short-term residential treatment. Participants were 219 youth (M age = 12.70, SD = 2.76; 71 % male) nested in 28 same-age, same-sex treatment groups. Sociometric interviews assessed social preference and victimization. Daily behavioral observations by staff assessed overall levels of treatment group aggression, as well as aggressive, withdrawn, and prosocial responses to specific social events. End-of-summer behavioral responses (to all events; to peers; to adults) were predicted, controlling for initial levels of these responses. Social preference predicted higher end-of-summer prosocial responses, and victimization predicted lower prosocial and higher withdrawn responses. Each interacted with group aggression in some analyses, with more positive peer experiences only predicting more favorable responses in groups that were low or average in aggression. Interactant-specific analyses revealed that some of these associations were broad, whereas others applied only to adults. For example, group aggression moderated the association between social preference and aggressive responses to adults but not peers. Gender differences were also interactant-specific. Results highlight the importance of peer experiences in group treatment and underscore the value of both aggregation and disaggregation over interactants in analyses of behavioral adjustment.

Peer Interactions in Residential Youth Care: A Validation Study of the Peer Interactions in Residential Youth Care (PIRY) Questionnaire

“…Sekol (2013), Emond (2003), and Wulf-Ludden (2013) found that peers could support each other emotionally and give each other advice, helping each other to achieve their treatment goals. Cardoos et al (2015) found that social preference (in terms of acceptance by peers) was associated with an increase in prosocial behavior after treatment. These studies indicate that peers can be effective reinforcers because they best understand each other's problems and situations, and that peer acceptance and peer support are beneficial for treatment success.…”