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Schools are ideal locations for youth to receive mental health and social-emotional programming. Despite the well-established need for school-based mental health programs, many schools do not offer these programs, and those that do often face implementation challenges that hinder the effectiveness of the programs. Peer-led programs may be an effective way to implement school-based mental health prevention efforts. Peer-led programs employ influential student leaders trained to deliver prevention content and serve as role models to their peers. Understanding potential barriers to the implementation of school-based programs is critical to ensure these programs have a meaningful impact on students and schools. The current qualitative phenomenological study examines the lessons learned from implementing the "Sources of Strength" ("Sources") prevention program in 11 high schools in a western US state. "Sources" is an evidence-based peer-led suicide prevention program focused on developing protective factors and promoting resilience in schools. Implementing the "Sources" program was successful in many ways, including facilitating positive student-staff interactions, cultivating a welcoming and inclusive environment in the school community, and encouraging community outreach. Barriers to implementation were also found, including time constraints, low peer leader engagement, inefficient communication between peer leaders, need for additional guidance from program staff, and school buy-in. The findings provide program developers and schools with strategies to help strengthen program implementation and highlight challenges that "Sources" and similar peer-led programs face.

Many preventive trials randomize individuals to intervention condition which is then delivered in a group setting. Other trials randomize higher levels, say organizations, and then use learning collaboratives comprised of multiple organizations to support improved implementation or sustainment. Other trials randomize or expand existing social networks and use key opinion leaders to deliver interventions through these networks. We use the term contextually driven to refer generally to such trials (traditionally referred to as clustering, where groups are formed either pre-randomization or post-randomization - i.e., a cluster-randomized trial), as these groupings or networks provide fixed or time-varying contexts that matter both theoretically and practically in the delivery of interventions. While such contextually driven trials can provide efficient and effective ways to deliver and evaluate prevention programs, they all require analytical procedures that take appropriate account of non-independence, something not always appreciated. Published analyses of many prevention trials have failed to take this into account. We discuss different types of contextually driven designs and then show that even small amounts of non-independence can inflate actual Type I error rates. This inflation leads to rejecting the null hypotheses too often, and erroneously leading us to conclude that there are significant differences between interventions when they do not exist. We describe a procedure to account for non-independence in the important case of a two-arm trial that randomizes units of individuals or organizations in both arms and then provides the active treatment in one arm through groups formed after assignment. We provide sample code in multiple programming languages to guide the analyst, distinguish diverse contextually driven designs, and summarize implications for multiple audiences.

The 2020-2021 academic year brought numerous challenges to teachers across the country as they worked to educate students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study is a secondary data analysis of qualitative responses collected as part of a teacher survey to evaluate a social emotional learning curriculum implemented during the 2020-2021 academic year. The lived experiences of teachers (N = 52) across 11 elementary schools in the Great Plains region were captured through open-ended questions as the teachers transitioned from in-person to remote learning. A phenomenological approach was utilized to analyze the challenges expressed by teachers as they faced instability and additional professional demands. Given that stress and other factors that strain mental health exist within multiple layers of an individual's social ecology, a modified social-ecological framework was used to organize the results and themes. Findings suggest that during the academic year, teachers experienced stressors related to their personal and professional roles, concerns for students' well-being which extended beyond academics, and frustrations with administration and other institutional entities around COVID safety measures. Without adequate support and inclusion of teacher perspectives, job-related stress may lead to teacher shortages, deterioration of teacher mental health, and ultimately worse outcomes for students. Implications for policy, research, and practice are discussed.

Cyberbullying among youth is an emerging public health concern that has a wide array of deleterious outcomes. The current meta-analytic review synthesized school-based cyberbullying prevention programs' impact on promoting cyber-bystander intervention among K-12 students. As a result of exhaustive searches and a thorough screening procedure, a total of 9 studies were identified as eligible. Meta-analytic synthesis of the 9 studies involving 35 effect sizes demonstrated that overall, the treatment effect was not statistically significant (g = 0.29, SE = 0.14, p = .07, 95% CI [-0.03, 0.61]). Findings of the moderator analyses suggest that incorporating an empathy activation component in the prevention program was associated with better program effectiveness in promoting cyber-bystander intervention. Further, older age was found to be associated with better program outcomes. Findings of the current meta-analysis provide important insight for developing cyberbullying prevention programs that promote cyber-bystander intervention.

This paper has two purposes: First, we describe the components of the Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS) framework in the context of the literature on school safety. Second, we offer outcomes from a pilot study testing the framework's impact on student perceptions of: (1) school belonging; (2) sense of personal safety; (3) level of disruption; (4) level of delinquency; (5) responsibility for school safety; (6) engagement in victimizing behavior; and (7) sense of being victimized by peers. We conducted a study with two conditions, intervention and control. The study was conducted in Oregon and Illinois. Four high schools participated in the study. Two high schools received access to the SOARS framework and two high schools served as controls. We collected usage data of the "Advocatr" app, the central components of the SOARS framework, as well as survey data from students. We examined "Advocatr" use by overall frequency as well as across student race and gender. Survey data were analyzed using an ANCOVA analytic approach. Almost all outcomes were in the desired direction. Intervention effects on student-reported school belonging, sense of personal safety, and level of disruption reached statistical significance. Effect sizes ranged from small to medium, with the largest effect in students' perceptions of personal safety. We contextualize our study in the literature on school safety and describe the alignment of the SOARS components with existing recommendations for increasing students' safety at school.

Bias-based aggression at school in the form of homophobic name-calling is quite prevalent among early adolescents. Homophobic name-calling is associated with low academic performance, higher risky sexual behaviors, and substance abuse, among other adverse outcomes. This longitudinal study examined risk and protective factors across multiple domains of the social ecology (individual, peer, family, school and community) and levels of analysis (within- and between-person) associated with homophobic name-calling perpetration and victimization. Students from four middle schools in the U.S. Midwest (N = 1,655; [X-bar] age = 12.75; range = 10-16 years) were surveyed four times (Spring/Fall 2008, Spring/Fall 2009). For homophobic name-calling perpetration, significant risk factors included impulsivity, social dominance, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence; while empathy, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors. For homophobic name-calling victimization, significant risk factors included empathy (between-person), impulsivity, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence, while empathy (within-person), parental monitoring, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors.

Creating effective school-wide safety mechanisms depends on understanding students' previous experiences of reporting, however, students may also be apprehensive to report if it is considered "snitching." Focus groups were conducted in the 2015-2016, 2016-2017 school years across four U.S. high schools (N = 40). A phenomenological approach was used to answer research questions on how high school students define snitching, what they perceive as the barriers and consequences of snitching, and under what circumstances they perceive reporting as acceptable or effective. Findings suggest students differentiate between reporting and snitching based on the perceived severity of the issue, its proximity, and how effective adults' responses are likely to be. As U.S. schools move forward implementing tiplines and reporting apps to address school safety issues, students will need support on what to report, how to report it and who/where to report it to and school staff should also focus on addressing the cultural norms around reporting.

We present outcomes from a field test of a student-centered and technology-driven school safety framework. We describe the framework components rooted in school violence prevention. Results from our field test indicate moderate student and teacher use of the framework components, improvements in student perceptions of school safety, reductions in student reported peer victimization, and reductions in teacher and parent reported inappropriate student behavior. Consumer satisfaction rating were adequate. We present recommendations for implementing a school safety framework emphasizing student voice.

Evidence suggests that cyberbullying among school-age children is related to problem behaviors and other adverse school performance constructs. As a result, numerous school-based programs have been developed and implemented to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Given the extensive literature and variation in program effectiveness, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of programs to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Our review included published and unpublished literature, utilized modern, transparent, and reproducible methods, and examined confirmatory and exploratory moderating factors. A total of 50 studies and 320 effect sizes spanning 45,371 participants met the review protocol criteria. Results indicated that programs significantly reduced cyberbullying perpetration (g = -0.18, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [-0.28, -0.09]) and victimization (g = -0.13, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.21, -0.05]). Moderator analyses, however, yielded only a few statistically significant findings. We interpret these findings and provide implications for future cyberbullying prevention policy and practice.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience higher rates of adverse mental health outcomes, most notably suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). The current study examines risk and protective factors for STBs and depression among 1,078 youth in high schools. We examine these outcomes through an intersectional lens, and we extend the use of the minority stress theory framework by focusing on resilience and protective factors and argue that bias against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth should be addressed at the systemic, rather than the individual, level. Our findings suggest that family support is a notable factor protective of depression and suicide-related behavior among LGBTQ youth. Additionally, peer support, help-seeking beliefs, access to medical and counseling services, engaging in healthy activities, spirituality, and having trusted adults are protective factors for some groups. The nuanced findings in this study offer suggestions for school psychologists and professionals to promote healthy and safe school environments.

Homophobic name-calling and sexual violence are prevalent among US high school students and have been associated with a host of negative consequences including anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders, especially among sexual and gender minority youth. Although homophobic name-calling and sexual violence are linked to common risk and protective factors, most prior studies have failed to include gender and sexual minority groups. The present study used path analyses to explore the associations between eight protective factors and the outcomes of homophobic name-calling perpetration, homophobic name-calling victimization, sexual violence perpetration, and sexual violence victimization. The sample included LGB (n = 938), transgender (n = 140), and heterosexual (n = 3,744) high school students in Colorado, USA (N = 4,822). Protective factors included: (1) family support; (2) peer support; (3) friendships with trusted adults; (4) participating in healthy activities; (5) helping others; (6) spirituality; (7) access to counseling; and (8) access to medical services. For homophobic name-calling perpetration and victimization, significant negative associations emerged across different groups for the protective factors of family support, peer support, helping others, spirituality, counseling, and medical access. For sexual violence perpetration and victimization, significant negative associations emerged across different groups for the protective factors family support, peer support, and counseling access. Findings suggest that prevention and intervention efforts to address gender-based harassment should focus on building protective, supportive environments across the schools, families, and communities.

Peer victimization, also referred to as bullying victimization, is associated with deleterious mental health outcomes including depression and suicidality. However, most of the bullying literature in the USA is centered around the experiences of non-Latinx White and African American adolescents. To center Latinx experiences, this cross-sectional study includes a sample of Latinx students from 19 Colorado high schools (n = 2554). School-level ethnic peer representation (proportion of Latinx peers) and individual student's willingness to seek help were examined independently as moderators between bullying victimization and mental health outcomes (depression and suicidality) separately by gender. Results indicated that Latinx youth who experienced peer victimization also reported higher symptoms of depression and suicidality. A greater willingness to seek help was associated with less symptoms of depression and suicidality among young Latinx youth, while school-level ethnic peer representation was only associated with lower symptoms of depression for Latinx adolescent females. Among Latinx youth who were victimized, a greater willingness to seek help was protective for symptoms of depression and suicidality. Results suggest that school-based programs for bullying prevention and mental health promotion need to examine culturally specific protective factors to reduce victimization and promote help-seeking norms among Latinx youth.

School resource officers and other school security professionals (SSPs) (e.g., security specialists, guardians, campus monitors) have become increasingly common in schools; however, most states do not require that these professionals receive training related to understanding trauma and how it may affect students' behavior and how to promote social-emotional learning competencies among students. The current project evaluated an online professional development program for SSPs that provides education on two topics related to best practices in working with youth in K-12 school settings: trauma-informed care (TIC) and social-emotional learning. This study used a posttest-only design of 96 SSPs from a county in the southeastern United States. Participants self-selected into two trainings: Cohort 1 (immediate intervention, May 2019) or Cohort 2 (delayed intervention-control group, August 2019). A linear regression model indicated that Cohort 1 (immediate intervention) scored significantly higher on TIC knowledge (b = 0.36, p < 0.01) and competencies (b = 0.31, p < 0.01) than Cohort 2 (delayed intervention-control group). More studies are needed to assess how training for SSPs directly impacts school climate and school safety.

School resource officers (SROs) and school security professionals (SSPs) have increased presence in schools, yet little is known about how they view the importance of their relationships with students and the broader school climate. This article is part of a larger study of an online professional development module on trauma-informed care and is focused on the qualitative reflection responses from 95 participants from three large school districts in the southeast United States. Informed by the levels of ecological systems theory, three salient themes were identified by the researchers: how SSPs and SROs describe school climate, how they respond to students with traumatic experiences, and how their perspectives may be affected by their differing roles. Findings indicate that SROs and SSPs benefited from this training on trauma-informed care because they expressed learning new strategies and feeling better equipped to serve and support students with known or unknown adverse childhood experiences.

This study, grounded in the theory of diffusion, utilizes a qualitative phenomenological methodology to understand perspectives of parents and school personnel on the implementation of tiplines and/or reporting apps for school safety. Barriers and facilitators for the development and successful implementation of "Advocatr," a school-based tipline/reporting app were identified. Adult participants were recruited from four U.S. high schools. These participants attended one of three sets of focus groups (parents, staff, and administrators) at two time points (Wave 1: n = 56; Wave 2: n = 55). Results indicated that parents and school staff are primarily concerned about mental health as a school safety issue. While many thought school tiplines could be useful, they identified improvements that could support its successful development and implementation such as school-wide training and school climate improvement frameworks. Implications for practice, policy, and future research addressing school safety are discussed.

Aggression among peers during adolescence is associated with deleterious developmental outcomes. Family violence has been strongly associated with many forms of aggression - such as verbal and physical aggression. Yet, associations between sibling and peer aggression at school and the protective role of school belonging remain understudied. Thus, the present study addresses this gap. Middle school students (N = 1611) completed self-report surveys four times across 2 years in a U.S. Midwest state. A multi-level within- and between-person longitudinal design was employed to examine associations among sibling aggression perpetration, witnessing intrafamilial violence, and verbal and physical peer aggression at school. Also, the moderating effect of school belonging between family violence and peer aggression was also investigated. Higher levels of sibling aggression were associated with higher verbal peer aggression at both within- and between-person levels. Family violence was associated with higher verbal and physical peer aggression, but only at the between-person level and not within-individuals. Higher school belonging was associated with less verbal and physical peer aggression overtime. School belonging moderated the relation between sibling aggression and verbal as well as physical aggression; higher within-person level sibling aggression was associated with lower verbal and physical aggression when students reported a strong sense of school belonging. Aggression prevention programs that focus on fostering school connectedness may mitigate the transmission of violence from home to school., Author(s): Alberto Valido [sup.1] , Katherine Ingram [sup.1] , Dorothy L. Espelage [sup.1] , Cagil Torgal [sup.2] , Gabriel J. Merrin [sup.3] , Jordan P. Davis [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

Although the relationship between bullying victimization and suicidal behaviors of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (i.e., unsure of their sexual orientation) students has been well documented in research, few studies have focused on how bullying victimization might be related to suicidal behaviors among youth with intersectional identities. This study examines associations between bullying victimization and suicidal behaviors across racial/ethnic groups in a sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) students. Data for this cross‐sectional study were derived from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey combined data set (2003–2019), with a sample of 95,603 students who identified as LGBQ. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. We found that homophobic bullying victimization was associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation and plans among the total sample and Black and Hispanic students. School‐based bullying victimization was associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts among white and Hispanic students and higher suicidal ideation among multiracial–non‐Hispanic students. Cyberbullying victimization was not associated with suicidal behavior among Asian students, but it was associated with all forms of suicidal behavior among youth of other racial/ethnic identities. Addressing bullying victimization and suicidality with culturally relevant, evidence‐based violence prevention strategies is critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]