The "Measure of Empathy in Early Childhood": Psychometric Properties and Associations with Externalizing Problems and Callous Unemotional Traits.

Empathy is crucial to the development of socio-emotional skills in youth and empathy development is central to understanding and subtyping youth with externalizing problems. This study explored for the first time the psychometric properties of the Measure of Empathy in Early Childhood (MEEC) in a sample of 652 Italian children aged 6 to 8 years. The gender invariance of MEEC scores and their associations with other measures of empathy and prosocial behavior, and children's externalizing problems and callous-unemotional (CU) traits were also evaluated. Results indicated that with some modifications, a 5-factor structure of the Italian version of MEEC scores fitted the data and was invariant across gender. Results further supported the reliability and validity of MEEC total and subscale scores. Practical implications of these results are discussed.

One Year Follow Up Efficacy of the Coping Power Universal and Its Relations with Teachers' Occupational Stress.

The coping power universal (CPU) is an evidence-based universal prevention program delivered by teachers, and completely integrated into the school agenda. Previous studies have shown its positive effects, though little is known about its longer-term effects, and no previous study has explored whether teachers' occupational stress could influence the CPU efficacy. The current study aimed to explore the 1 year follow up of the CPU on students' externalizing and internalizing problems and prosocial behavior, and the influence of baseline levels of teachers' stress in a sample of 316 3rd graders and their teachers (N = 32). Results showed that the CPU led to positive effects, not attainable with the standard curriculum. Additionally, improvements in prosocial behavior persisted even one year after the conclusion of the program. However, improvements in internalizing and externalizing problems were not maintained at the follow up, highlighting the need to understand the factors influencing the CPU efficacy. In this regard, our findings showed that high levels of teachers' occupational stress predicted poorer improvements following the CPU, and an increase in students' difficulties at the follow-up assessment. Addressing teachers' stress as part of prevention programs for students could boost their efficacy and yield more lasting results.

Coping Power Universal for middle school students: The first efficacy study.

INTRODUCTION: The present study examined the efficacy of the universal prevention version of the Coping Power Program in reducing behavioral and emotional problems and in promoting prosocial behaviors in middle-school classrooms. METHODS: The study used a randomized control study design; and the sample included 839 middle-school Italian youths (411 males), attending 40 middle-school classrooms. The students were in seventh or eighth grade, and they had an average age of 13.24 years (SD = .65; range 12-14 years). Ninety students were Africans, the rest were Caucasian. Teachers and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, before and after intervention. We used the 24-session universal prevention adaptation of Coping Power, which aims to improve children's emotional regulation and social problem-solving skills. RESULTS: Linear mixed models and effect sizes indicated that behaviors improved as a result of the Coping Power intervention. Specifically, the program was effective in reducing internalizing problems and increasing prosocial behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The Coping Power Universal effectively adapts an existing evidence-based program, and is believed to be a useful strategy also to improve social emotional skills in middle-school students.

Effects of a universal prevention program on externalizing behaviors: Exploring the generalizability of findings across school and home settings.

Universal prevention approaches have significantly reduced children's conduct problems and aggressive behavior in the school setting, but it has not been clear whether the effects generalize into children's behavior in home and community settings in later elementary school years. The present study examined this issue using a classroom-randomized design, with 1030 students in 70 fourth and fifth grade Italian classes. The intervention model is the Coping Power Universal and the classroom teachers delivered it. Coping Power Universal produced a significant reduction in both parents' and teachers' rated conduct problems, relative to control classes, indicating that universal prevention can produce significant reductions in children's conduct problems that generalize into the home and community settings. The intervention also increased children's prosocial behaviors in school and home settings. The Coping Power Universal is a short intervention model that is believed to be a useful strategy for children's behavioral problems in the broad population.

Coping power for preschool-aged children: a pilot randomized control trial study.

AIM: Preschoolers with behavioural difficulties, both at clinical and sub-clinical levels, are at higher risk for several negative outcomes. The current paper reports the results from a randomized clinical trial evaluating an adaptation of the Coping Power for preschool-aged children. In the present study, Coping Power is adapted as a universal prevention intervention, in which teachers deliver a curriculum that is designed to improve children's social competence and reduce problem behaviours. METHODS: Ten nursery school classes (164 children, mean age 54.40 months) from two Italian schools were randomly assigned to Coping Power or to the control group, which received the standard academic curriculum provided in Italian nursery schools. Teachers in the five intervention classes implemented weekly lessons and extension activities over a 6-month period. Teacher and parent reports of child behaviour assessments were collected at the beginning and end of the school year. At each assessment period, teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. RESULTS: The findings suggest that after exposure to Coping Power, intervention children showed lower levels of behavioural difficulties, rated both by parents and teachers. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are promising and can be interpreted as providing initial support for the efficacy of the preschool version of Coping Power.

Implementing Coping Power Adapted as a Universal Prevention Program in Italian Primary Schools: a Randomized Control Trial.

Behavioral problems in schools can cause serious harm to the emotional and social well-being of students and limit their ability to achieve their full academic potential. A prior pilot study on the universal application of Coping Power showed a significant decrease in the hyperactivity behaviors of five classes. The next step was to test whether Coping Power Universal could be successfully implemented by teachers in a variety of Italian schools. The sample involved 40 third- and fourth-grade classes (901 students) from public schools located in three Italian cities. Twenty classes were randomly assigned to Coping Power Universal, and 20 classes were randomly assigned to the control group, which received the strictly standard academic curriculum of Italian elementary schools. At each assessment period, the teachers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The findings showed a significant reduction in hyperactive and inattention behaviors and conduct problems and emotional symptoms in the intervention classes compared with the control classes. This study suggests that Coping Power model can be delivered in school settings at both universal and targeted prevention levels and that in this multi-tiered prevention model, teachers can learn a set of intervention skills which can be delivered with flexibility, thus reducing some of the complexity and costs of schools using multiple interventions.

Coping Power Adapted as Universal Prevention Program: Mid Term Effects on Children's Behavioral Difficulties and Academic Grades.

Aggressive behaviors in schools have the potential to cause serious harm to students' emotional and social well-being and to limit their ability to achieve their full academic potential. Prevention programs developed to reduce children's aggressive behaviors in school settings can provide interventions at a universal or targeted level. The main aim of our randomized control study was to examine the efficacy of Coping Power, adapted as a universal prevention program, in reducing children's behavioral problems and improving school grades. Nine classes participated (184 students, mean age 91 months) from two elementary state schools in Tuscany, Italy. Study findings showed a significant reduction in behavioral problems and an improvement in school grades for the intervention classes relative to the control classes. This study suggests the Coping Power program can be delivered in school settings at both universal and targeted prevention levels, and that in this multi-tiered prevention model, teachers, educators and school psychologists can learn a set of intervention skills which can be delivered with flexibility, thus reducing some of the complexity and costs of schools using multiple interventions.

First adaptation of coping power program as a classroom-based prevention intervention on aggressive behaviors among elementary school children.

Children with high levels of aggressive behavior create a major management problem in school settings and interfere with the learning environment of their classmates. We report results from a group-randomized trial of a program aimed at preventing aggressive behaviors. The purpose of the current study, therefore, was to determine the extent to which an indicated prevention program, Coping Power Program, is capable of reducing behavioral problems and improving pro-social behavior when delivered as a universal classroom-based prevention intervention. Nine classes (five first grade and four second grade) were randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Findings showed a significant reduction in overall problematic behaviors and in inattention-hyperactivity problems for the intervention classes compared to the control classes. Students who received Coping Power Program intervention also showed more pro-social behaviors at postintervention. The implications of these findings for the implementation of strategies aimed at preventing aggressive behavior in school settings are discussed.