A Trial of an Online Problem-solving Intervention for Aggression

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Problem-solving Intervention to Reduce Aggression Among Youth

Aggressive behaviour among adolescents is a social problem that can be reduced by social problem-solving interventions. However, these interventions usually include more than one technique, and the specific techniques that are effective in reducing and preventing aggression remain to be identified. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to test whether the instruction and practice of problem-solving on their own are effective in changing aggressive behaviour among adolescents.

As the intervention in this trial is aimed at the general population, it will be delivered online. The rapid growth in the use of the Internet among young people provides an opportunity to deliver interventions universally in a cheap and efficient way.

Problem-solving skills are fundamental to effective behaviour change. Therefore, problem-solving skills will be measured to assess whether they mediate the effect of the intervention on aggressive behaviour.

Finally, young people with callous-unemotional traits are less likely to change their problematic behaviour such as aggression after an intervention. Therefore, Callous-Unemotional traits will be measured to assess if they act as a moderator of effectiveness.

It is expected that participants randomised to the intervention improve their problem-solving skills and consequentially, reduce their aggressive behaviours. In addition, participants with lower callous-unemotional traits are expected to have a greater change.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Aggression
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Problem-solving

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 908
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • South Yorkshire
    • Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom, S1 2LT
      • University of Sheffield

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 21 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Living in the UK
• Fluent in English

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control
Experimental: Problem-solving	Behavioral: Problem-solving; The steps of problem-solving are explained to the participants. Then, they are presented two conflictive situations and they are asked to apply the problem-solving steps to find a solution. Once they finish, they are asked to apply the steps in a conflictive situation they have experience in the last month. In the end, they are reminded of the steps and encouraged to practice them in their daily conflicts.; Other Names: social problem-solving

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Aggression (trait)	Aggression Questionnaire (AQ): Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Hostility, Anger. Each item is responded from 1 (extrememly uncharacteristic of me) to 5 (extremely characteristic of me), with higher scores meaning higher aggression.	1 month
Aggression (frequency)	Physical and relational aggression questionnaire. Each item is responded from 1 (never) to 5 (5 or more times), with higher scores meaning higher aggression.	1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Problem-solving skills	Problem Solving Skills (PSI-PSS). Each item is responded from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), with higher scores meaning higher problem-solving skills.	1 month
Problem-solving self-efficacy	Problem Solving Self-Efficacy (PSI-PSSE). Each item is responded from 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree), with higher scores meaning higher problem-solving self-efficacy.	1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Sheffield
• Collaborators: University of Manchester
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Laura Castillo-Eito, University of Sheffield

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 25, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): March 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 16, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 16, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): October 17, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 20, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 19, 2020
• Last Verified: October 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: aggressive behaviour; youth; young people; online intervention; brief intervention; problem-solving
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Aggression
• Other Study ID Numbers: 030755

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Anonymised data will be shared, but there is not a concrete plan at the moment.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No