Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a social-cognitive group intervention on violence avoidance beliefs, empathy, and personal development among at-risk adolescents. This study also examined the relationship between empathy, personal development, and violence avoidance beliefs in at-risk youth. Furthermore, it compared drug/alcohol users and non users, fighters in school and non- fighters, and students threatened or harmed at school and those not threatened or harmed regarding violence avoidance beliefs, empathy, and personal development. Fifty at-risk high school students were selected and randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group participated in ten, 2-hour weekly sessions of a social-cognitive group intervention in the fall of 1993. The experimental and control groups completed a questionnaire prior to, upon completion, and 3 months after completion of the intervention. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and Pearson correlations. Descriptive data were collected on demographic information. The alpha level was set at p < .05 for all analyses. Findings showed that the social-cognitive group intervention did not result in significant differences between the groups on violence avoidance beliefs, empathy, or personal development at post-testing or follow-up testing. In addition, violence avoidance beliefs, empathy, and personal development were not significantly correlated. Students who used drugs/alcohol and physically fought in school had significantly lower violence avoidance beliefs compared with students who did not engage in those behaviors. Students who were verbally threatened or harmed at school had significantly less feelings of empathy compared with those students who were not threatened. All other variables examined were not significantly different. These data do not support the efficacy of this social- cognitive group intervention as a method to enhance violence avoidance beliefs, empathy, or personal development in at risk adolescents. However, the data suggest that at-risk students who use drugs/alcohol and fight in school believe in using violence more than those who do not. Furthermore, the data suggest that students who are verbally threatened or harmed at school are not as empathetic as students who were never threatened.
Cirillo, Kathleen J. (1994). Effects of a social-cognitive group intervention on violence, empathy, and personal development in at-risk high school students. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -1556618.