Replication and Extension of the Early Childhood Friendship Project: Effects on Physical and Relational Bullying

Abstract.

A replication of a preventive early childhood intervention study for reducing relational and physical aggression and peer victimization was conducted (Ostrov et al., 2009). The present study expanded on the original 6-week program, and the revised Early Childhood Friendship Project (ECFP) 8-week program consisted of developmentally appropriate puppet shows, active participatory activities, passive activities, and in vivo reinforcement periods. Both teacher and observer reports were obtained at pretest and posttest for relational and physical bullying, as well as relational and physical peer victimization, for each participating child. The initial sample (N = 141; age M = 45.53 months; age SD = 7.29) included 80 children randomly assigned to the intervention group (six classrooms) and 61 children randomly assigned to the control group (six classrooms). The present study found that the ECFP reduced relational bullying in the intervention group relative to the control group and reduced relational and physical victimization for girls in the intervention group relative to the control group. The importance of early intervention and implications for educators and clinicians are discussed.

Notes

We acknowledge the many research assistants in the University at Buffalo Social Development Laboratory who have contributed to the collection and management of the data reported in this article. Thanks to Emily J. Hart for her assistance with intervention components of this project. We acknowledge Drs. Greta Massetti and Kirstin Gros for intellectual contributions in the development of the initial ECFP program. Special thanks to the families, teachers, and school directors for their participation and support of our research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jamie M. Ostrov

Jamie M. Ostrov, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology in the Clinical Psychology Program at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. He is the director of the Social Development Laboratory, as well as a faculty affiliate and advisory board member of the school's Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention. He is currently an associate editor of Early Childhood Research Quarterly and is on the editorial boards or is a consulting editor of eight other journals. He is the coeditor of a book, The Development of Relational Aggression, to be published by Oxford University Press. His research is currently funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and focuses on the development of forms (i.e., relational and physical) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggression.

Stephanie A. Godleski

Stephanie A. Godleski, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychology at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is also a research associate at the Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) of the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She previously completed a 3-year National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism–sponsored postdoctoral fellowship at the RIA. Her research is currently funded by NIDA. Her program of research emphasizes the role of parents and family systems, as well as exposure to substances, in the prediction of aggressive behavior among children and adolescents.

Kimberly E. Kamper-DeMarco

Kimberly E. Kamper-DeMarco, MA, is an advanced doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She is also currently a predoctoral psychology intern at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Her research interests and dissertation focus on how aggression subtypes impact and are impacted by friendships among children.

Sarah J. Blakely-McClure

Sarah J. Blakely-McClure is a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Her research interests include developmental associations between relational aggression, relational victimization, and self-concept domains in children and adolescents.

Lauren Celenza

Lauren Celenza, EdM, is a doctoral student in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Science of Learning Program (early childhood education concentration) at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She is also a child researcher in the Play Lab at Fisher-Price. Her interests include the application of psychology and best practices for early childhood settings.