Assessing and treating aggression and conduct problems in schools: Implications from the Coping Power program

Abstract

Abstract Children with high levels of aggressive behavior and conduct problems create major management problems in school settings and interfere with the learning environment of their classmates and with their own academic achievement. A contextual social‐cognitive model can provide a framework for understanding risk factors involved in the development and maintenance of aggression and conduct problems in children. The model also outlines important areas for intervention, including family factors, peer relationships, classroom and neighborhood factors, and children's social‐cognitive functioning. Evidence‐based, cognitive‐behavioral intervention and prevention programs for aggression and conduct problems have been developed to address risk factors that occur within the family, the school setting, and children's social‐cognitive processes. This article will review several evidence‐based, cognitive‐behavioral programs appropriate for children in preschool through late elementary school. We will also discuss how cognitive‐behavioral programs can be disseminated to school staff, and we will present important considerations in the selection of intervention and prevention programs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.