Skip to main content

Higher Childhood Peer Reports of Social Preference Mediates the Impact of the Good Behavior Game on Suicide Attempt

Prevention Science volume 17, pages 145–156 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a universal classroom-based preventive intervention directed at reducing early aggressive, disruptive behavior and improving children’s social adaptation into the classroom. The GBG is one of the few universal preventive interventions delivered in early elementary school that has been shown to reduce the risk for future suicide attempts. This paper addresses one potential mechanism by which the GBG lowers the risk of later suicide attempt. In this study, we tested whether the GBG, by facilitating social adaptation into the classroom early on, including the level of social preference by classmates, thereby lowers future risk of suicide attempts. The measure of social adaptation is based on first and second grade peer reports of social preference (“which children do you like best?”; “which children don’t you like?”). As part of the hypothesized meditational model, we examined the longitudinal association between childhood peer social preference and the risk of future suicide attempt, which has not previously been examined. Data were from an epidemiologically based randomized prevention trial, which tested the GBG among two consecutive cohorts of first grade children in 19 public schools and 41 classrooms. Results indicated that peer social preference partially mediated the relationship between the GBG and the associated reduction of risk for later suicide attempts by adulthood, specifically among children characterized by their first grade teacher as highly aggressive, disruptive. These results suggest that positive childhood peer relations may partially explain the GBG-associated reduction of risk for suicide attempts and may be an important and malleable protective factor for future suicide attempt.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Bachynski, K. E., Canham-Chervak, M., Black, S. A., Dada, E. O., Millikan, A. M., & Jones, B. H. (2012). Mental health risk factors for suicides in the US Army, 2007–8. Injury Prevention, 18, 405–412.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barrish, H. H., Saunders, M., & Wolf, M. W. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2, 119–124.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Block, J., & Burns, R. (1976). Mastery learning. In L. Shulman (Ed.), Review of research in education (pp. 3–49). Itasca, IL: Peacock.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borowsky, I. W., Ireland, M., & Resnick, M. D. (2001). Adolescent suicide attempts: Risks and protectors. Pediatrics, 107, 485–493.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brent, D. A. (1995). Risk factors for adolescent suicide and suicidal behavior: Mental and substance abuse disorders, family environmental factors, and life stress. Suicide and Life-Threating Behavior, 25, 52–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Kessler, R. C., Chilcoat, H. D., Schultz, L. R., Davis, G. C., & Andreski, P. (1998). Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in the community: The 1996 Detroit Area Survey of Trauma. Archives of General Psychiatry, 55, 626–632.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bukowski, W. M., Sippola, L., Hoza, B., & Newcomb, A. F. (2000). Pages from a sociometric notebook: An analysis of nomination and rating scale measures of acceptance, rejection, and social preference. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2000, 11–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2009). Strategic direction for the prevention of suicidal behavior: Promoting individual, family, and community connectedness to prevent suicidal behavior. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services. Available from URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/Suicide_Strategic_Direction_Full_Version-a.pdf

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2015) [cited 2015 July 9]. Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

  • Cicchetti, D., & Schneider-Rosen, K. (1984). Toward a transactional model of childhood depression. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 1984, 5–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cillessen, A. H., & Bukowski, W. M. (2000). Conceptualizing and measuring peer acceptance and rejection. In A. H. Cillessen & W. M. Bukowski (Eds.), Recent advances in the measurement of acceptance and rejection in the peer system: New directions for child development (pp. 3–10). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cillessen, A. H., & Mayeux, L. (2004). From censure to reinforcement: Developmental changes in the association between aggression and social status. Child Development, 75, 147–163.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coie, J. D., Dodge, K., & Coppotelli, H. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coie, J. D., Dodge, K. A., & Kupersmidt, J. B. (1990). Peer group behavior and social status. In S. R. Asher & J. D. Coie (Eds.), Peer rejection in childhood: Cambridge studies in social and emotional development (pp. 17–59). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coie, J. D., Lochman, J. E., Terry, R., & Hyman, C. (1992). Predicting early adolescent disorder from childhood aggression and peer rejection. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 783–792.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, D. R. (1972). Regression models and life-tables. Journal of Royal Statistical Society, 34, 187–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gvion, Y., & Apter, A. (2011). Aggression, impulsivity, and suicide behavior: A review of the literature. Archives of Suicide Research, 15, 93–112.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, G., Wilcox, H. C., Wissow, L., & Baker, S. P. (2008). Mid-life suicide: An increasing problem in US Whites, 1999–2005. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35, 589–593.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ialongo, N. S., Kellam, S. G., & Poduska, J. (1999). Manual for the Baltimore How I Feel. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ialongo, N., McCreary, B. K., Pearson, J. L., Koenig, A. L., Wagner, B. M., Schmidt, N. B., Poduska, J., & Kellam, S. G. (2002). Suicidal behavior among urban African American young adults. Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 32, 256–271.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, X. L., & Cillessen, A. H. N. (2005). Stability of continuous measures of sociometric status: A meta-analysis. Developmental Review, 25, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaminski, J. W., Puddy, R. W., Hall, D. M., Cashman, S. Y., Crosby, A. E., & Ortega, L. A. G. (2010). The relative influence of different domains of social connectedness on self-directed violence in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 460–473.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kellam, S. G., & Anthony, J. C. (1998). Targeting early antecedents to prevent tobacco smoking: Findings from an epidemiologically based randomized field trial. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 1490–1495.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kellam, S. G., Branch, J. D., Agrawal, K. C., & Ensminger, M. E. (1975). Mental health and going to school: The Woodlawn program of assessment, early intervention, and evaluation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kellam, S., Brown, C., Poduska, J., Ialongo, N., Wang, W., Toyinbo, P., & Wilcox, H. C. (2008). Effects of a universal classroom behavior management program in first and second grades on young adult behavioral, psychiatric, and social outcomes. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 95, 5–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kellam, S. G., Rebok, G. W., Ialongo, N., & Mayer, L. S. (1994). The course and malleability of aggressive behavior from early first grade into middle school: Results of a developmental epidemiologically-based preventive trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 259–282.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1992). Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) manual. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kupersmidt, J. B., & Patterson, C. J. (1991). Childhood peer rejection, aggression, withdrawal, and perceived competence as predictors of self-reported behavior problems in preadolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 19, 427–449.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lansford, J. E., Malone, P. S., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2010). Developmental cascades of peer rejection, social information processing biases, and aggression during middle childhood. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 593–602.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leflot, G., Van Lier, P. A. C., Onghena, P., & Colpin, H. (2013). The role of children’s on-task behavior in the prevention of aggressive behavior development and peer rejection: A randomized controlled study of the Good Behavior Game in Belgian elementary classrooms. Journal of School Psychology, 51, 187–199.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewinsohn, P. M., Rohde, P., & Seeley, J. R. (1994). Psychosocial risk factors for future adolescent suicide attempts. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psycholology, 62, 297–305.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacKinnon, D. P., Fritz, M. S., Williams, J., & Lockwood, C. M. (2007). Distribution of the product confidence limits for the indirect effect: Program PRODCLIN. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 384–389.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mann, J. J., Waternaux, C., Haas, G. L., & Malone, K. M. (1999). Toward a clinical model of suicidal behavior in psychiatric patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 181–189.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. (2012). 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and objectives for action. Washington, DC: HHS.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention: Research Prioritization Task Force. (2014). A prioritized research agenda for suicide prevention: An action plan to save lives. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health and the Research Prioritization Task Force.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newcomb, A. F., & Bukowski, W. M. (1983). Social impact and social preference as determinants of children’s peer group status. Developmental Psychology, 19, 856–867.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pekarik, E., Prinz, R., Liebert, D., Weintraub, S., & Neale, J. (1976). The pupil evaluation inventory. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 4, 83–97.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Prinstein, M. J., Boergers, J., Spirito, A., Little, T. D., & Grapentine, W. L. (2000). Peer functioning, family dysfunction, and psychological symptoms in a risk factor model for adolescent inpatients’ suicidal ideation severity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 392–405.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robins, L. N., Helzer, J. E., Croughan, J., & Ratcliff, K. S. (1981). National Institute on Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule: Its history, characteristics, and validity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 381–389.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robins, L. N., Helzer, J. E., Croughan, J., & Ratcliff, K. S. (1994). National Institute on Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). In J. E. Mezzich, M. R. Jorge, & I. M. Salloum (Eds.), Psychiatric epidemiology: Assessment, concepts and method. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (1994). Designing and analyzing studies on onset, cessation, and relapse: Using survival analysis in drug abuse prevention research. NIDA Research Monographs, 142, 196–263.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • StataCorp. (2009). Stata Statistical Software: Release 11. StataCorp LP: College Station, TX.

  • Tishler, C. L., Reiss, N. S., & Rhodes, A. R. (2007). Suicidal behavior in children younger than twelve: A diagnostic challenge for emergency department personnel. Academic Emergency Medicine, 14, 810–818.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werthamer-Larsson, L., Kellam, S., & Wheeler, L. (1991). Effect of first-grade classroom environment on shy behavior, aggressive behavior, and concentration problems. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 585–602.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, H. C., Kellam, S. G., Brown, C. H., Poduska, J., Ialongo, N. S., Wang, W., & Anthony, J. C. (2008). The impact of two universal randomized first-and second-grade classroom interventions on young adult suicide ideation and attempt. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 95, 60–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, H., Storr, C., & Breslau, N. (2009). Posttraumatic stress disorder and suicide attempts in a community sample of urban American young adults. Archives of General Psychiatry, 66, 305–311.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willett, J. B., & Singer, J. D. (1993). Investigating onset, cessation, relapse, and recovery: Why you should, and how you can, use discrete-time survival analysis to examine event occurrence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 952–965.

    PubMed  Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Witvliet, M., Lier, P. V., Cuijpers, P., & Koot, H. M. (2009). Testing links between childhood positive peer relations and externalizing outcomes through a randomized controlled intervention study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 905–915.

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (1990). Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Funding sources during the last 30 or more years for this research has been supported by NIMH Grants R01 MH 42968, P50 MH 38725, R01 MH 40859, R21 MH 090480, and T32 MH018834 (with supplements from NIDA for each of the cited research grants), and NIDA grants R01 DA 019984, DA009897, and P30 DA027828.

Acknowledgments for PRC cohorts 1 and 2

This research has been supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants NIMH 5 PO MH38725, Epidemiologic Prevention Center for Early Risk Behaviors, Sheppard G. Kellam, P.I.; MH42968, Periodic Outcome of Two Preventive Trials, Sheppard G. Kellam, P.I.; R01 MH 40859, Development & Malleability from Childhood to Adulthood, MH42968-06A2 Sheppard G. Kellam, P.I.; and National Institute of Drug Abuse awards RO1 DA09592, Transitions to Adulthood, James C. Anthony, P.I.; and DA009897, Risks for Transitions in Drug Use in Urban Adults, William W. Eaton, P.I. Other principal collaborators include Lisa Werthamer, Hendricks Brown, Lawrence Dolan, Jeanne Poduska, and Nicholas Ialongo. This work would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of the Baltimore City Public Schools, and the parents, children, teachers, principals and school psychologists/social workers who participated.

Conflict of Interest

None of the authors have conflicts of interest.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 550 N. Broadway Room 921, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Alison R. Newcomer & Holly C. Wilcox

  2. Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA

    Alison R. Newcomer & Barry M. Wagner

  3. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Kimberly B. Roth, Sheppard G. Kellam, Nicholas S. Ialongo, Shelley R. Hart & Holly C. Wilcox

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Wei Wang

Authors
  1. Alison R. Newcomer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kimberly B. Roth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sheppard G. Kellam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Wei Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nicholas S. Ialongo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Shelley R. Hart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Barry M. Wagner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Holly C. Wilcox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Holly C. Wilcox.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Newcomer, A.R., Roth, K.B., Kellam, S.G. et al. Higher Childhood Peer Reports of Social Preference Mediates the Impact of the Good Behavior Game on Suicide Attempt. Prev Sci 17, 145–156 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0593-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-015-0593-4

Keywords

  • Suicide attempt
  • Good behavior game
  • Peer relations
  • Developmental epidemiology
  • Universal prevention programs