Effectiveness of an Anti-bullying Intervention for Adolescent Perpetrators

January 28, 2016 updated by: Booog Nyung Kim, Seoul National University Childrens Hospital

Effectiveness of an Anti-bullying Intervention for Adolescent Perpetrators: Using Tools Measuring Brain Function and Structure, Cognition and Behavior.

The investigators recruited school bullying perpetrators from the age of 12 to 17 by referral from the local police department. An anti-bullying intervention based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles was conducted, and addressed issues related to impulse control, empathy and communication enhancement. All participants completed brain magnetic resonance imaging, neurocognitive tests, and questionnaires before and after the intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The present study included previous perpetrators of school bullying who were convicted for a minor offense, including physical or verbal assaults or theft, and who were referred by the police to participate in an anti-bullying intervention. The program consisted of 8 sessions over 4 weeks and was conducted by a board-certified psychiatrist and a therapist with previous training in psychosocial treatments. The intervention was based on CBT principles and addressed various factors that have been associated with perpetrators of school bullying, including impulse control, perspective taking (empathy), and the enhancement of communication skills.

All participants completed the Korean Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL) administered by board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists. The validity and reliability of the original and Korean versions of the K-SADS-PL have been established. Intelligence quotient (IQ) was measured using the Korean Educational Developmental Institute's Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.

Prior to and after participation in the program, all participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (structural and functional) and completed neurocognitive tests that included the continuous performance test (CPT), the Stroop Word and Color Test, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The parents of the participants completed questionnaires including the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Written informed consent was obtained from the parents and the participants after sufficient explanation of the study. The study protocol was approved by the institutional review board of the Seoul National University Hospital.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

27

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • No psychiatric diagnosis or psychiatric diagnoses including conduct disorder, depressive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and adjustment disorder.
  • IQ > 70
  • Agreement to participate
  • Ability to cooperate in group therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any psychotic disorder
  • Severe impairment in impulse control
  • Not cooperating with program participation
  • IQ < 70
  • Current or past history of brain trauma or organic brain disorder, seizure disorder, or any neurological disorder.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Anti-bullying intervention
An anti-bullying intervention target to perpetrators of school bullying was conducted. The program consisted of 8 sessions over 4 weeks and was conducted by a board-certified psychiatrist and a therapist with previous training in psychosocial treatments. The intervention was based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and addressed various factors that have been associated with perpetrators of school bullying, including impulse control, perspective taking (empathy), and the enhancement of communication skills.
Behavioral: Anti-bullying intervention

The title of each session were as follows :

  1. Introduction of intervention and setting rules, building rapport
  2. Understanding school bullying (The definition of school bullying and proper coping strategies)
  3. Empathy of others ( Practice of understanding victims of school bullying)
  4. Impulse control 1 (Understanding my anger patterns, finding one's true feelings behind that anger)
  5. Impulse control 2 (Finding irrational thoughts that lead to anger and correction of them)
  6. Conflict management (Understanding one's pattern of dealing with conflicts, finding effective strategies)
  7. Communication skills enhancement
  8. Increasing self esteem

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Brain activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Time Frame: 1 month
1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Aggression measured by the Child Behavior Checklist based on parent-report
Time Frame: 1 month
1 month
Cognitive flexibility measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
Time Frame: 1 month
1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Seoul National University Childrens Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

February 1, 2015

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 27, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 28, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

February 2, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 2, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 28, 2016

Last Verified

January 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 0720152106

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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