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A Comprehensive Model for Promoting Resiliency and Preventing Violence in Schools

  • Special Topic: School Psychologists Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Children & Youth — Part II
  • Published:
Contemporary School Psychology: Formerly "The California School Psychologist" Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Implementing violence prevention programs has become a priority for schools; however, most programs used for this purpose are limited in the skills they teach. In this study, two different resiliency building/violence prevention models were evaluated to assess their effectiveness at preventing violent and maladaptive behaviors in youth. Data from the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) was used to compare a narrow versus a comprehensive/ecological approach for resiliency building. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the preventive impact of both resiliency building approaches. The results showed that the comprehensive/ecological approach is much stronger than the traditional narrow approach for preventing violent and maladaptive behaviors. Implications for program development and implementation are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School Psychology Program, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Street, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Sara Maria Castro-Olivo PhD, NCSP (Assistant Professor), Gazi Ferdousi Begum, Elizabeth Michelle Arellano, Nicole Marie Garcia & Catherine Yang Tung

  2. California State University, East Bay, Hayward, USA

    Oanh Kim Tran

Authors
  1. Sara Maria Castro-Olivo PhD, NCSP
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  2. Oanh Kim Tran
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  3. Gazi Ferdousi Begum
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  4. Elizabeth Michelle Arellano
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  5. Nicole Marie Garcia
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  6. Catherine Yang Tung
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Correspondence to Sara Maria Castro-Olivo PhD, NCSP.

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Authors’ note

The last three authors are listed in alphabetical order indicating equal contributions to this manuscript. All authors would like to express our most sincere gratitude to Dr. George Marcoulides for the valuable guidance and feedback he provided during each step of this study. We would also like to thank Dr. Misaki Natsuaki for her comments on this article.

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Castro-Olivo, S.M., Tran, O.K., Begum, G.F. et al. A Comprehensive Model for Promoting Resiliency and Preventing Violence in Schools. Contemp School Psychol 17, 23–34 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340986

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