The Broader Impact of Friend to Friend (F2F)

Abstract

Girls often harm others’ social standing by starting rumors about peers or by excluding others from peer group activities, which is called relational aggression. Although relational aggression is not a new phenomenon, there have been relatively few interventions designed to address this, especially for urban ethnic minority girls. The Friend to Friend (F2F) program, developed through an iterative participatory action research process, has proven to be effective in improving targeted relationally aggressive urban girls’ social problem-solving knowledge and decreasing levels of relational aggression, with effects being maintained 1 year after treatment. In the current article, we examine the broader effects of the F2F program. Findings suggest that the indicated F2F program has broader effects such as increasing prosocial behaviors, decreasing relational and physical aggression, and improving teacher-student relationships among non-targeted boys. In addition, the program demonstrated some effects for non-targeted girls including an increase in prosocial behaviors and improved teacher-student relationships. Implications for examining the cost-effectiveness of indicated interventions such as F2F are discussed.

Aktuální problémy pedagogiky ve výzkumech studentů doktorských studijních programů XVII: Teachers4Future. Recenzovaný sborník příspěvků z mezinárodní vědecké konference

“…It was created with the aim at solving the relation-based and physical aggression among municipal afroamerican girls and later was implemented in preschool period. Outcomes of research proved agression decrease in peer group (Leff, 2016). One of the further preventive programs is The Early Childhood Friendship Project.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue

“…Collins, Gresham, and Dart (2016) examined the effectiveness of Check-In/Check-Out when implemented by students’ peers to improve social skills in students identified as socially neglected in their classrooms. Leff, Waasdorp, and Paskewich (2016) determined whether Friend to Friend, a program targeting relational aggression in girls, demonstrated influences on outcomes such as teacher–student relationships, prosocial behaviors, and physical and relational aggression in girls who were not targeted by the program. This unique program provided supports that we believe encompass goals consistent with the Tier II and Tier I levels.…”

Day‐to‐day friends’ victimization, aggression perpetration, and morning cortisol activity in late adolescents

“…However, aggression can nevertheless occur between friends. In fact, studies among youth show that between 5% and 30% of youth report physical or relational victimization by close friends (Crick & Nelson, 2002;Leff, Waasdorp, & Paskewich, 2016; McDonald, Wang, Menzer, Rubin, & Booth-LaForce, 2011;Mishna, Wiener, & Pepler, 2008). One problematic outcome associated with peer or friend victimization (i.e., verbal or physical aggression adolescents experience from a friend) is the potential escalation of aggression perpetration (i.e., aggression of the target adolescent toward friends) (Walters & Espelage, 2018).…”