Papers by Leonardo Bevilacqua
JCPP Advances, 2022
Background: Adolescents with conduct problems (CP) are characterised by difficulties with social ... more Background: Adolescents with conduct problems (CP) are characterised by difficulties with social relationships and display atypical social cognition, such as when interpreting emotional expressions or engaging in social problem-solving. One important aspect of social cognition that warrants investigation is the degree to which these adolescents factor others' views into their already held beliefs, and strategies used to do so. Effective social information use enables attunement to social environment, cooperation, and social problem-solving. Difficulties in this regard could contribute to problems in social interactions in adolescents with CP, and may vary with adolescents' high (CP/HCU) versus low levels of callous-unemotional traits (CP/LCU). Methods: We compared social information use in boys (11-16 years) with CP/HCU (n = 32), CP/LCU (n = 31) and typically developing (TD) peers (n = 45), matched for IQ. Participants provided estimates of numbers of animals on a screen, saw another adolescent's estimate, and could adjust their initial estimate. We compared two aspects of social information use: (1) degree of adjustment of initial estimate towards another's estimate and (2) strategy use when adjusting estimates. Results: Degree of adjustment towards another's estimate did not vary across groups, but strategy use did. Adolescents with CP/LCU compromised less following social information than TD peers. Conclusions: Findings suggest that while adolescents with CP are able to take social information into account, those with CP/LCU use this information in a way that differs from other groups and could be less efficient. This warrants further systematic investigation as it could represent a target for behaviour management strategies. Overall, this study highlights the need for more research delineating the social-cognitive profile of adolescents with CP/LCU.
http://isrctn.org/>, 2012
Conduct problems in youth are very common and have high financial and societal costs. Conduct pro... more Conduct problems in youth are very common and have high financial and societal costs. Conduct problems can have different age of onset and developmental course and often predict later adjustment problems. In this work, I investigated the psychosocial outcomes of different trajectories of conduct problems. Then, I examined the developmental processes underlying poor academic achievement, a common risk factor in youth with conduct problems. To do this, I tested a developmental cascade model in two early-onset subgroups of conduct problems individuals. I have also investigated whether school experience could mediate the association between conduct problems trajectories and not being in education, employment or training (NEET) at age 20. Finally, I explored a number of school-level factors that could predict the development of conduct problems in early to mid-adolescence. I used several statistical methods including meta-analysis, structural equation modelling, counterfactual-based medi...
Paediatric Mental Health Association and Young Persons Health Special Interest Group
Background There is increasing evidence that youth who follow Early-Onset Persistent (EOP), Child... more Background There is increasing evidence that youth who follow Early-Onset Persistent (EOP), Childhood-Limited (CL) and Adolescent-Onset (AO) trajectories of conduct problems (CP) show varying patterns of health and social outcomes in adulthood. However there has been no systematic review and meta-analysis on psychosocial outcomes associated with different CP trajectories. Methods We systematically reviewed the literature of longitudinal studies considering outcomes of three CP trajectories: EOP, AO, CL compared with groups with low levels of aggression or control participants. We performed a series of meta-analyses comparing each trajectory group to low aggression or control groups for 8 different outcomes in early adulthood or later. Results 13 studies met our inclusion criteria. Outcomes were mental health (depression), cannabis use, alcohol use, selfreported aggression, official records of antisocial behaviour, poor general health, poor education and poor employment. Overall, EOP individuals showed significant higher risk of poor outcome followed by AO individuals, CL individuals and finally control participants. Conclusions All CP trajectories showed higher risk of poor psychosocial outcomes compared with control groups but the magnitude of risk differed across trajectories, with a general trend for EOP to perform significantly worse, followed by AO and CL. Early intervention is recommended across domains to maximise likelihood of desistance from antisocial behaviour and improvement on several psychosocial outcomes. Abbreviations CP:Conduct problems; Conduct Disorder (CD); SDQ: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; DAWBA: Development and Well Being Assessment; EOP: Early-Onset Persistent; AO: Adolescent-Onset; AL: Adolescence-Limited; CL: Childhood-Limited; ASB: Antisocial Behaviour; CBCL: Child Behaviour Checklist
BJPsych Open
Background Human trafficking is a grave human rights violation and a major public health concern.... more Background Human trafficking is a grave human rights violation and a major public health concern. Survivors present with high rates of mental health problems including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies of effective treatments for PTSD in survivors of human trafficking are lacking. Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is an effective PTSD treatment for multiple, prolonged and complex trauma, but its efficacy has not been rigorously tested in survivors of human trafficking. Aims To test the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) offering NET as a treatment for PTSD in trafficking survivors with a history of multiple traumatic events, as well as providing preliminary evidence regarding its efficacy (trial registration: ISRCTN95136302). Method A single-blind RCT compared NET with a wait-list control in survivors of trafficking with PTSD (n = 25). In the NET arm of the study, participants attended a mean of 17 sessions. Results NET was well tolerate...
BMJ Open
BackgroundWe have previously reported benefits for reduced bullying, smoking, alcohol and other d... more BackgroundWe have previously reported benefits for reduced bullying, smoking, alcohol and other drug use and mental health from a trial of ‘Learning Together’, an intervention that aimed to modify school environments and implement restorative practice and a social and emotional skill curriculum.ObjectivesTo conduct post hoc theory-driven analyses of broader impacts.DesignCluster randomised trial.Settings40 state secondary schools in southern England.ParticipantsStudents aged 11/12 years at baseline.OutcomesStudent self-reported measures at 24 and 36 months of: cyberbullying victimisation and perpetration; observations of other students perpetrating aggressive behaviours at school; own perpetration of aggressive behaviours in and outside school; perceived lack of safety at school; participation in school disciplinary procedures; truancy and e-cigarette use.ResultsWe found evidence of multiple impacts on other health (reduced e-cigarette use, cyberbullying perpetration, perpetration o...
Public Health Research
Background Bullying, aggression and violence among children and young people are some of the most... more Background Bullying, aggression and violence among children and young people are some of the most consequential public mental health problems. Objectives The INCLUSIVE (initiating change locally in bullying and aggression through the school environment) trial evaluated the Learning Together intervention, which involved students in efforts to modify their school environment using restorative approaches and to develop social and emotional skills. We hypothesised that in schools receiving Learning Together there would be lower rates of self-reported bullying and perpetration of aggression and improved student biopsychosocial health at follow-up than in control schools. Design INCLUSIVE was a cluster randomised trial with integral economic and process evaluations. Setting Forty secondary schools in south-east England took part. Schools were randomly assigned to implement the Learning Together intervention over 3 years or to continue standard practice (controls). Participants A total of ...
British Educational Research Journal
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
BackgroundThe theory of human functioning and school organisation proposes that schools with rigi... more BackgroundThe theory of human functioning and school organisation proposes that schools with rigid ‘boundaries’ (weaker relationships), for example, between staff and students, or learning and broader development, engender weaker student school commitment and sense of belonging, particularly among disadvantaged students, leading to greater involvement in risk-behaviours. Existing studies provide some support but rely on a proxy exposure of ‘value-added education’ and have not explored effects by disadvantage.MethodsWe used longitudinal data from English secondary schools from the control arm of a trial, assessing school-level measures of rigid boundaries, and student commitment and belonging at age 11/12, and student risk-behaviours at age 14/15.ResultsOur direct measures were more strongly associated with risk-behaviours than was value-added education. School-level rigid boundaries were associated with increased alcohol use and bullying. Student belonging was more consistently asso...
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
BackgroundInterventions to modify school environments are effective in promoting young people’s h... more BackgroundInterventions to modify school environments are effective in promoting young people’s health across outcomes, but mechanisms are poorly understood. We assessed mediation in a trial of the Learning Together intervention, building on the recent publication of results of effectiveness for reducing bullying and benefits across secondary outcomes and generally good implementation fidelity.MethodsWithin a cluster-randomised trial involving 40 English schools, we examined student-reported and staff-reported school climate and student-reported involvement with delinquent peers at 24-month and 36-month follow-up, assessing the reliability of measures and whether these mediated health outcomes at a final follow-up.ResultsResponse rates and reliability were good for student-reported but not staff-reported measures. The intervention increased student-reported but not staff-reported-positive school climate but, like effects on student health outcomes, these manifested only at a final f...
Journal of Adolescent Health
Journal of Adolescent Health
The Lancet
Background Bullying, aggression, and violence among children and young people are some of the mos... more Background Bullying, aggression, and violence among children and young people are some of the most consequential public mental health problems. We tested the Learning Together intervention, which involved students in efforts to modify their school environment using restorative practice and by developing social and emotional skills. Methods We did a cluster randomised trial, with economic and process evaluations, of the Learning Together intervention compared with standard practice (controls) over 3 years in secondary schools in southeast England. Learning Together consisted of staff training in restorative practice; convening and facilitating a school action group; and a student social and emotional skills curriculum. Primary outcomes were self-reported experience of bullying victimisation (Gatehouse Bullying Scale; GBS) and perpetration of aggression (Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime (ESYTC) school misbehaviour subscale) measured at 36 months. We analysed data using intention-to-treat longitudinal mixed-effects models. This trial was registered with the ISRCTN registry (10751359). Findings We included 40 schools (20 in each group); no schools withdrew. 6667 (93•6%) of 7121 students participated at baseline and 5960 (83•3%) of 7154 at 36 months. Mean GBS bullying score at 36 months was 0•34 (SE 0•02) in the control group versus 0•29 (SE 0•02) in the intervention group, with a significant adjusted mean difference (-0•03, 95% CI-0•06 to-0•001; adjusted effect size-0•08). Mean ESYTC score at 36 months was 4•33 (SE 0•20) in the control group versus 4•04 (0•21) in the intervention group, with no evidence of a difference between groups (adjusted difference-0•13, 95% CI-0•43 to 0•18; adjusted effect size-0•03). Costs were an additional £58 per pupil in intervention schools than in control schools. Interpretation Learning Together had small but significant effects on bullying, which could be important for public health, but no effect on aggression. Interventions to promote student health by modifying the whole-school environment are likely to be one of the most feasible and efficient ways of addressing closely related risk and health outcomes in children and young people.
BMC pediatrics, Jan 11, 2017
Bullying and cyberbullying are common phenomena in schools. These negative behaviours can have a ... more Bullying and cyberbullying are common phenomena in schools. These negative behaviours can have a significant impact on the health and particularly mental health of those involved in such behaviours, both as victims and as bullies. This UK study aims to investigate student-level and school-level characteristics of those who become involved in bullying and cyberbullying behaviours as victims or perpetrators. We used data from 6667 Year 7 students from the baseline survey of a cluster randomized trial in 40 English schools to investigate the associations between individual-level and school-level variables with bullying victimization, cyberbullying perpetration, and cyberbullying victimization. We ran multilevel models to examine associations of bullying outcomes with individual-level variables and school-level variables. In multilevel models, at the school level, school type and school quality measures were associated with bullying risk: students in voluntary-aided schools were less li...
Uploads
Papers by Leonardo Bevilacqua