The effectiveness of a short-term interpersonal problem-solving program for aggressive preschool children with low acceptance among peers

• Main Author: Bennett, Donna Michelle, 1962-
• Other Authors: Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dept. of Psychology.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 1995
• Subjects: Aggressiveness in children; Problem solving in children; Education; Preschool; Newfoundland studies; University of Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses2/id/69002

Thesis (M.Sc)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1995. Psychology Bibliography: leaves 95-106. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a short-term interpersonal problem-solving program for preschool children who are perceived by teachers as aggressive and have low social acceptance among their peers. Thirty-four preschool children identified as rejected (5 females, 11 males) or average (10 females, 8 males) based on ratings of peer acceptance and teacher ratings of behavior in the preschool setting were assigned to either treatment or attention control groups. Results indicated that children in the treatment group demonstrated significant improvement in problem-solving skills following 13 training sessions and gains were maintained at a 4 week follow-up. Children in the treatment group also showed a significant decrease in aggressive behavior at follow-up. Training was not found to be differentially effective for rejected and average children. There were no significant changes in ratings of peer acceptance. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.