ABSTRACT
Emotional disorder is one of the main clinical symptoms of autism spectrum disorder(ASD),which is related to the lack of emotional awareness,social cognition and alexithymia. It is often manifested as difficulty in recognizing,distinguishing and processing emotional information of oneself and others,resulting in making inappropriate emotional reactions. Children and adolescents with ASD often participate in school bullying as the perpetrator,victim,or victim-perpetrator,and this brings about a series of negative physical and mental effects on them. Bullying prevention should not only include interventions for core symptoms and comorbidities of ASD,but also involve building partner empathy and social skills,teacher responsibility and supportive services,parental involvement,and social integration.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based school bullying prevention program for the adolescent perpetrators of school violence. METHODS: total of 395 middle and high school students (male=316, female=79) were included in this study. The changes after the program were evaluated using several self-rating scales for the assessment of the degree of depression, loneliness, impulsivity, self-esteem, and interpersonal reactivity compared with the baseline scales. RESULTS: The school bullying prevention program significantly reduced the degree of depression severity (t=5.985, p<0.001) and increased the self-esteem (t=-2.67, p=0.008) of the teenagers. This tendency was more pronounced among those teenagers under the age of 16. In the participants with high impulsivity or low empathy at baseline, the impulsivity scale decreased (t=2.617, p=0.009), while the interpersonal reactivity scale increased (t=-3.364, p=0.001) after the program. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that this CBT-based program developed for the prevention of school bullying can be effective in preventing further school violence. Further research to evaluate the long-term effects of the program is necessary.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Bullying , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Depression , Empathy , Impulsive Behavior , Loneliness , Violence , Weights and MeasuresABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effects of school-based short term mental health awareness and school bullying prevention programs. METHODS: From April to December 2013, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Promotion team of Seoul National Hospital conducted school-based short term social skill training (N=56, 4 sessions), mental health awareness (N=84, 4 sessions) and school bullying prevention programs (N=171, 1 session) in elementary and junior high schools located in Seoul. The changes in the subjects before and after the program were assessed. RESULTS: The a social skills training program improved the 'helping' behaviors in boys (t=-2.355, p<.05) and 'sharing' (t=-3.223, p<.01), 'cooperation' (t=-2.235, p<.05), and 'comforting' (t=-2.830, p<.01) behaviors in girls, assessed using the Prosocial Behavior Questionnaire. The mental health awareness program improved 'general health awareness' (t=2.620, p<.05), measured using the Korean General Health Questionnaire. The school bullying prevention program resulted in decreased 'self esteem' (t=3.769, p<.01), measured using the Self Esteem Scale and decreased 'anger' (t=4.198, p<.01), assessed using the Novaco Anger Scale. CONCLUSION: The results of our preliminary analysis suggest that school-based mental health awareness and school bullying prevention programs may be effective even when conducted for a short term. Future investigation is necessary in order to validate the long term effects of these programs.