Baseline Predictors of Treatment Outcome in the Resilience Builder Program®

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Prevention and Interventions

Abstract

Introduction: The Resilience Builder Program® (RBP; Alvord et al., 2011) is a manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group intervention designed to improve children's social competence and resilience skills. Prior research in the school settings has found that RBP significantly improves participants’ resilience, study skills, and academic motivation and engagement (Rich et al., 2020), as well as emotional self-regulation, executive functioning, and externalizing problems (Senior et al., 2020). The current study investigates which self-report domains of baseline functioning predict these significant treatment outcomes of RBP in a school setting.

Methods: 82 children ages 9-12 years (M = 10.83, SD = 0.59 years; 65.9% male; 50.0% African American, 2.4% White) participated in the current study. All participants were enrolled in the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP; Alvord, Zucker, & Grados, 2011), a transdiagnostic, socioemotional group intervention. RBP is a 12-week program designed for children with social deficits, which participants completed in the school setting. Data were collected prior to and at the conclusion of treatment. Anger control, attitude toward school, negative emotionality, resiliency, and executive function were measured using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, 2nd edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004); relatedness, adaptive functioning, self-efficacy, vulnerability, and optimism were measured using the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (RSCA; Prince-Embury, 2006); study skills and classroom engagement were measured using the Academic Competence Evaluation Scales (ACES; DiPerna & Elliot, 2000).

Results: Regression analyses revealed several self-report baseline measures that significantly predicted treatment outcome. Attitude towards school significantly predicted increases in parent-report executive functioning (B = .31, t(38) = 3.05, p = .004), negative emotionality (B = .22, t(38) = 2.02, p = .051), and anger control (B = .28, t(39) = 2.75, p = .029) following RBP, while optimism predicted significant improvement in teacher-report anger control (B = -.18, t(45) = -2.46, p = .018). Additionally, adaptability (B = .25, t(54) = 2.17, p = .035) and vulnerability (B = -.31, t(52) = -2.08, p = .042) significantly predicted improvement in relatedness. Self-efficacy significantly predicted improvement in child-report relatedness (B = .32, t(54) = 2.32, p = .024) and parent-report resiliency (B = -.26, t(38) = -2.13, p = .040). Finally, classroom engagement significantly predicted improved self-report study skills (B = .37, t(46) = 2.50, p = .016).

Discussion: The current study examined baseline child-report predictors of RBP treatment outcome in domains previously shown to significantly improve after RBP. Specifically, poorer baseline attitude toward school, optimism, and vulnerability as well as greater baseline adaptability, self-efficacy, and engagement predicted improved functioning after treatment. Thus, improved functioning following RBP was predicted by better baseline functioning in some domains, but worse baseline functioning in others. The findings of this study can inform possible domains that are important to emphasize in the group therapy program for all participants to benefit from RBP.

Authors

• Hannah Repke, Catholic University of America
  Presenting Author

• Tram Hong Nguyen, Catholic University of America
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mary K Alvord, Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC
  Non-Presenting Author

• Brendan Rich, Catholic University of America
  Non-Presenting Author