Project Grant R21HD112660

DEVELOPING IVY: A VIRTUAL INTERVENTION FOR VICTIMIZED YOUTH - PROJECT SUMMARY OVERVIEW: THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO FINALIZE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AND CONDUCT A PILOT STUDY FOR A NOVEL INTERVENTION (I.E., INTERVENTION FOR VICTIMIZED YOUTH (IVY)) TO REDUCE DISTRESS AND INCREASE COPING SKILLS FOR TARGETS OF PEER VICTIMIZATION. IVY IS THE FIRST SMALL GROUP INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF TARGETS OF PEER VICTIMIZATION FROM A TRAUMA-INFORMED PERSPECTIVE. IT USES A COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY APPROACH TO ADDRESS CURRENT DISTRESS AND TEACHES STRATEGIES FOR HANDLING FUTURE PEER VICTIMIZATION. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH: DESPITE THE LARGE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH ON PEER VICTIMIZATION, THERE IS NO INTERVENTION SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR YOUTH WHO ARE VICTIMIZED BY PEERS. MOST PROGRAMS FOCUS ON REDUCING AND PREVENTING PEER VICTIMIZATION, NOT ON WHAT TO DO FOR THOSE STILL BEING VICTIMIZED. IVY IS DESIGNED TO FILL THIS GAP AND PROVIDE PRACTITIONERS WITH A CURRICULUM FOR DELIVERING A HIGH-QUALITY INTERVENTION FOR THIS GROUP OF YOUTH THAT HAS BEEN IGNORED. INNOVATION AND UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH: NOT ONLY IS IVY THE FIRST SMALL GROUP INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR VICTIMIZED YOUTH, BUT IT IS DELIVERED IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT. THE BENEFIT OF VIRTUAL GROUPS IS THAT IT ALLOWS YOUTH FROM DIFFERENT SCHOOLS TO COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS SHARED EXPERIENCES WITHOUT FEAR THAT WHAT THEY SAY WILL BE SHARED WITH PEERS AT SCHOOL OR WITHOUT WORRYING THAT A BULLY FROM THEIR OWN SCHOOL IS IN THE GROUP. IVY IS ALSO UNIQUE IN THAT IT IS INSPIRED BY THE EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ON TRAUMA, WHICH ALIGNS WITH THE EMERGING VIEW THAT PEER VICTIMIZATION IS A POTENTIALLY TRAUMATIC EVENT. SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) DEVELOP IVY, A TRAUMA-INFORMED PEER VICTIMIZATION INTERVENTION PROGRAM, INCLUDING A LEADER HANDBOOK, PARTICIPANT HANDBOOK, PRESENTATION SLIDES, RELEVANT ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES, FIDELITY CHECKLIST, AND A CAREGIVER MODULE; AND (2) INVESTIGATE THE USABILITY, FIDELITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF IVY IN A PILOT STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF THE INTERVENTION COMPONENTS ON IMMEDIATE OUTCOMES (I.E., DISTRESS, COPING SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE OF AND SELF-EFFICACY FOR SELF- PROTECTION OPTIONS), AND DISTAL OUTCOMES (I.E., VICTIMIZATION, TRAUMATIC STRESS, SOCIAL SUPPORT). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: THE PILOT STUDY INCLUDES A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL/PRE-POST INTERVENTION DESIGN WITH RANDOM ASSIGNMENT TO AN INTERVENTION GROUP AND A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP WITH A TOTAL OF 50 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. CHANGES IN THE PROXIMAL AND DISTAL OUTCOME VARIABLES FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL CONDITIONS WILL BE EXPLORED. A REPEATED MEASURES MANCOVA WILL BE USED TO ASSESS CHANGES IN PRE- AND POST- SCORES.