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Proximal Peer-Level Effects of a Small-Group Selected Prevention on Aggression in Elementary School Children: An Investigation of the Peer Contagion Hypothesis

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Abstract

Examined peer contagion in small group, selected prevention programming over one school year. Participants were boys and girls in grades 3 (46 groups, 285 students) and 6 (36 groups, 219 students) attending school in low-resource, inner city communities or moderate resource urban communities. Three-level hierarchical linear modeling (observations within individuals within groups) indicated that individual change in aggression over time related to the average aggression of others in the intervention group. The individual child was “pulled” toward peers’ mean level of aggression; so the intervention appeared to reduce aggression for those high on aggression, and to make those low on aggression more aggressive. Effects appeared to be magnified in either direction when the child was more discrepant from his or her peers. From these results we derive a principle of “discrepancy-proportional peer-influence” for small group intervention, and discuss the implications of this for aggregating aggressive children in small group programs.

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Author notes

  1. Paul Boxer PhD

    Present address: University of New Orleans, USA

  2. Julie Morales

    Present address: Division of Children, Youth, and Families of Jefferson County Human Services (Colorado), USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan, USA

    Paul Boxer PhD

  2. University of California, Riverside

    Nancy G. Guerra

  3. University of Michigan, USA

    L. Rowell Huesmann

  4. University of California, Riverside

    Julie Morales

  5. Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, 2001 GP Building/Lakefront, New Orleans, LA, 70148

    Paul Boxer PhD

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  1. Paul Boxer PhD
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  2. Nancy G. Guerra
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  3. L. Rowell Huesmann
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Correspondence to Paul Boxer PhD.

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Boxer, P., Guerra, N.G., Huesmann, L.R. et al. Proximal Peer-Level Effects of a Small-Group Selected Prevention on Aggression in Elementary School Children: An Investigation of the Peer Contagion Hypothesis. J Abnorm Child Psychol 33, 325–338 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-3568-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-3568-2

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