Effect of a Randomized Anti-Stigma School-Based Intervention on Received and Delivered Problem Behaviors

Youth experiencing a mental health problems may be predisposed to problem behaviors such as bullying, violence, and teasing. Additionally, youth who participate in problem behaviors may experience  concurrent mental health problems. Investigators in this area of research often refer to reporters of problem behaviors as ‘victims’ or ‘perpetrators’. However, given that youth do not identify with those terms and the mutuality of problem behaviors, it may be more accurate to refer to victimization and perpetration of problem behaviors as receiving and delivering problem behaviors, respectively.

We examined the short-term effectiveness of a randomized school-based intervention aimed at reducing mental health stigma on self-reported receiving and delivering problem behaviors. An ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of 721 sixth-graders from 14 schools comprised this unique study, which took place from September 2011 to December 2012 in Texas. Interventions included an anti-stigma curriculum, contact with a person who has a mental illness, and use of supplemental printed materials. A pre/post survey included a Problem Behavior Frequency Aggression Scale, a 19-item measure that assesses physical, non-physical and relational aggression among youth. Receiving the curriculum significantly decreased delivering problem behaviors when compared to the contact (p=0.013) and no-intervention control (p=0.003). The curriculum also decreased received problem behaviors but this effect did not achieve statistical significance. Long-term follow-up data of the sample will test the effectiveness of the intervention on inducing sustained changes of receiving and delivering problems behaviors. Based on these findings, the anti-stigma curriculum may be used to target problem behaviors among youth.