Using Your WITS: A 6-Year Follow-Up of a Peer Victimization Prevention Program

The current study examined the effects of a community-based, whole-school peer victimization prevention program (WITS Primary Program), implemented from Grades 1 to 3, on trajectories of child-reported peer victimization and help-seeking and teacher-reported social-emotional adjustment from Grades 1...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:School psychology review 2012-06, Vol.41 (2), p.193-214
Main Authors: Hoglund, Wendy L. G., Hosan, Naheed E., Leadbeater, Bonnie J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
At Risk Persons
Behavior Problems
Bullying
Children & youth
Community Relations
Curriculum Evaluation
Early Intervention
Educational Environment
Elementary Education
Elementary School Students
Elementary Schools
Emotional Adjustment
Emotional Problems
Empathy
Grade 1
Grade 4
Grade 6
Help Seeking
Intermediate Grades
Interpersonal Competence
Middle Schools
Peer Relationship
Peer relationships
Peers
Prevention
Program Effectiveness
Program Evaluation
Quasiexperimental Design
Research Design
Self Efficacy
Social psychology
Studies
Victims
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Summary:The current study examined the effects of a community-based, whole-school peer victimization prevention program (WITS Primary Program), implemented from Grades 1 to 3, on trajectories of child-reported peer victimization and help-seeking and teacher-reported social-emotional adjustment from Grades 1 to 6. This quasi-experimental design followed a cohort of 432 children in 11 program and 6 comparison public elementary schools over 6 years. There were significant and meaningful effects of the WITS Primary Program on linear changes in physical victimization (Cohen's d = .17), relational victimization (Cohen's d = .20), and social competence (Cohen's d = .20); significant and small effects on physical aggression (Cohen's d = .09); and nonsignificant effects for help seeking and internalizing (Cohen's d values = .04 and .10, respectively) during elementary school. Following the transition into middle school, the program effects faded, with the exception of some subgroups in high-risk contexts. Our findings suggest that peer victimization prevention programming implemented in early elementary school may need to be sustained to maintain the promising early intervention gains through the transition into middle school.
ISSN:0279-6015
2372-966X
2372-966X
DOI:10.1080/02796015.2012.12087520