ABSTRACT
Social motivation, the human desire to engage with others, is likely to underlie higher levels of social cognition and the formation of interpersonal relationships. Yet, this topic has been understudied in adolescents despite the critical developmental and maturational changes that occur during this period and the relevance of social motivation to clinical and neurodevelopmental disorders. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and an implicit-association paradigm (Choose-A-Movie Task; Dubey et al., 2015), we examined how brain responses underlying socially motivated decisions informed future decisions in 54 youth (aged 10-14 years) and 50 young adults (aged 18-33 years). As the first study to use this task during EEG recording, we implemented time-frequency analyses and a trial-by-trial dynamic statistical approach. Results suggested that both age groups preferred low-effort choices and increasingly preferred nonsocial choices over time. P3 amplitude also increased over time and was sensitive to effortful decisions, particularly for adults, but not social content. Both groups showed larger leftward frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) during nonsocial feedback, and FAA predicted future decisions differently for adults than youth. The current study highlights FAA and trial-by-trial analyses as useful tools in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying socially motivated decisions, which differ across development, time, and individuals.
ABSTRACT
School-based mindfulness trainings (SBMT) are a contemporary approach for intervening to promote students' social and emotional skills and well-being. Despite evidence from the larger field of evidence-based social and emotional learning programs demonstrating the importance of high-quality implementation, few studies have investigated factors impacting the implementation of SBMTs, particularly teacher-level influences. The present study addressed this issue by investigating whether teachers' stress, trust in their fellow teachers and principal, and expectations about the program at baseline predicted the quality of their implementation of a SBMT for students. In addition, we examined whether teachers' stress at baseline moderated the effect of training condition on implementation quality. Implementation quality was assessed via observations and teacher self-reports. Results from a sample of British secondary (middle-high) school educators (N = 81) indicated that teachers who felt more supported by their principals at baseline were later observed to implement the SBMT with greater quality, whereas teachers who had more positive expectations about the program felt more confident teaching the course in the future. Teachers' baseline stress moderated the effect of training condition on all measures of implementation quality; among teachers experiencing high stress at baseline, more intensive training led to higher quality implementation. Implications for practitioners and prevention researchers are discussed.
Subject(s)
Mindfulness , School Teachers , Humans , Mindfulness/methods , School Teachers/psychology , Female , Male , Adult , Stress, Psychological/therapy , Stress, Psychological/psychology , Middle Aged , Teacher Training/methods , Schools , Occupational Stress/prevention & control , Occupational Stress/psychology , Occupational Stress/therapyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The study examined the effects of therapeutic alliance (TA; relational bond, task collaboration) on externalizing behavior outcomes, how TA can operate differently when children are seen in individual versus group sessions, and how therapist-child disagreement in perceptions of TA affects outcomes. METHOD: Three hundred sixty children (Ages 9.2-11.8; 65% male; 78.1% Black) identified as having high rates of aggressive behavior by the fourth-grade teachers, and their 20 elementary schools were randomized to group versus individual delivery of the cognitive behavioral intervention, Coping Power. TA ratings were collected from children and therapists at mid and end of intervention using the Therapeutic Alliance Scale for Children. Teacher ratings of children's externalizing and internalizing behavior problems were collected prior to intervention and at 1-year follow-up after intervention using the Behavior Assessment System for Children. RESULTS: Children receiving the intervention individually reported significantly higher trait-like levels of task collaboration than did children seen in groups. Independent of intervention format, higher trait-like levels of therapist-rated bond and task collaboration predicted reduced levels of externalizing problems, and higher trait-like levels of child- and therapist-rated task-collaboration and therapist-rated bond predicted reduced levels of internalizing problems. Differences between therapist and child reports of bond predicted weaker reductions in internalizing behavior for children seen in groups. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to train therapists to develop and assess for TA by midintervention with children with aggressive behavior problems, especially if they are seen in small groups, and to determine if therapists may misperceive the strength of TA. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
Subject(s)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Problem Behavior , Therapeutic Alliance , Humans , Male , Female , Problem Behavior/psychology , Aggression/psychology , Coping SkillsABSTRACT
Introduction: Effective classroom management is critical to creating a classroom environment in which social, emotional, and academic learning can take place. The present study investigated the association between early career, early elementary teachers' occupational health (job stress, burnout, and perceived teaching ability) and perceptions of program feasibility in relation to their implementation dosage and quality of two evidence-based classroom management programs implemented together: the PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG) and MyTeachingPartner (MTP) intervention. Methods: Teachers provided information on their occupational health at the start of the school year and were then randomized to the PAX GBG + MTP condition or control condition. Teachers' perceptions of the feasibility of the program, implementation dosage, and implementation quality of the intervention were measured at the end of the school year for the 94 intervention teachers. Results: Teachers participated in more MTP coaching cycles when they reported that the combined PAX GBG + MTP program was feasible. Although there were no main effects of occupational health on implementation, the associations between job stress and implementation quality were moderated by perceptions of feasibility. Discussion: Findings highlight the complexity of factors influencing the implementation of evidence-based programs in school settings.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In rural communities, understanding and improving school climate may benefit youth facing unique contextual challenges to well-being. As education research rarely focuses on rural schools, we aimed to examine school climate and student well-being with a particular focus on rural schools, compared to suburban schools. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 62,265 students in 22 rural and 78 suburban Maryland middle and high schools. Student self-report data were collected on school climate (safety, engagement, and environment) as well as internalizing problems, behavior problems, stress, substance abuse, and future orientation. Multiple-group, multilevel models were fit to compare between rural and suburban schools. RESULTS: On average, rural students reported significantly lower perceptions of safety and engagement than suburban students. Safety and engagement were generally associated with higher youth well-being. A number of moderated effects were observed, which generally suggested stronger associations between school-level climate-particularly engagement-and more positive outcomes for rural compared to suburban students. CONCLUSIONS: Students' perceptions of safety and engagement were associated with student well-being, in some cases with stronger associations for rural students. These findings suggest that efforts to improve school climate may be particularly impactful for rural students.
Subject(s)
Rural Population , Substance-Related Disorders , Adolescent , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Schools , StudentsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based programs are a novel and promising approach for supporting teachers' occupational health and well-being. Although rationales for mindfulness programs for teachers have been offered, the empirical research base evaluating approaches for educating teachers in mindfulness is still developing. This study reports the findings of a pilot study of a mindfulness-based program. This study is unique in that it is one of the only studies of the Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance (MBEB) program to focus on early elementary teachers, to be implemented by a new instructor, and to recruit teachers via extrinsic motivators. METHODS: A pre-post, uncontrolled pilot study of a 27.5-h mindfulness-based program for teachers was conducted with 21 pre-kindergarten-third-grade teachers from the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Program acceptability was assessed based on attendance and teacher reports of program benefits. Effect sizes for within-person changes (from pre- to post-program) in teachers' skills and mindsets, well-being, occupational health, and teaching practices were calculated. Teachers also suggested improvements to the program. RESULTS: With regard to program attendance and acceptability, teachers attended 87% of sessions, with 58% of teachers reporting a personal benefit and 58% of teachers reporting a professional benefit of the program. Effect sizes for changes in teachers' skills and mindsets ranged from small to large, |d| = 0.30 to 0.83, and ranged from small to medium for changes in teachers' well-being |d| = 0.07 to 0.48, occupational health |d| = 0.14 to 0.39, and teaching practices |d| = 0.15 to 0.48. Teachers suggested shortening the program and linking it more closely to their work in the classroom. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the MBEB program may be beneficial to early elementary teachers, even when implemented by someone other than the program developer, and when provided with extrinsic motivation to participate (more closely mapping to a larger-scale trial of the program). Teachers' suggestions regarding program length and structure are considered, along with useful avenues for future research on mindfulness-based programs for teachers.
ABSTRACT
Teachers' efforts to manage classroom social dynamics can have positive effects on students' social relationships. One way in which teachers may seek to manage these relationships is through seating arrangements. In a randomized control trial, van den Berg, Segers, and Cillessen (2012) found that closer proximity in the classroom can reduce disliking between two students who dislike each other (target students). However, the effect of this intervention on the larger class is unknown. The current study implemented a short version of this seating chart intervention, investigated effects on both target and nontarget students, and explored whether teachers' efficacy to manage social dynamics moderated the effects of the intervention. Data came from 1573 students in 59 Grade 5 classrooms in the Netherlands. Results indicated that students in intervention classes exhibited more overt aggression and perceived less cooperation among classmates than students in the control condition. These effects were consistent across target and nontarget students and were not moderated by teachers' efficacy for managing social dynamics. It may be that the intervention initially causes tension between target students that is resolved first at the dyad level and is only later noticed by other classmates. Whether these initial negative effects for target and nontarget students become positive after a longer period of adjustment and reorganization of relationships is to be determined in further research.