View clinical trials related to Aggressive Behavior.
Filter by:The goal of this type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial is to test a family strengthening (FS) model delivered through multiple family groups (MFG) combined with a virtual peer mentoring program called TeenAge Health Consultants (Virtual TAHC) aimed at addressing emotional and behavioral problems among youth born in the U.S. to parents resettled as refugees. The specific aims of the study are: Aim 1: To systematically adapt an evidence-based family strengthening (FS) model delivered through multiple family groups (MFG) combined with a peer mentoring program (Virtual TAHC) (Goal 1). Aim 2: To assess preliminary short- and long-term impact of the combination intervention (MFG + Virtual TAHC) on behavioral emotional disorders (aggressive behavior, antisocial behaviors, anxiety, depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD]) related to intergenerational trauma among SGRC in the trial (Goal 2). Aim 3: Utilizing mixed methods and applying the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework, examine implementation strategies, facilitators, and barriers of the RRF4H intervention (Goal 3). Participants will receive: 1. Family strengthening intervention delivered through multiple family groups (MFG) where children and one of their biological parents will participate in 16 weekly group sessions to discuss common problems and how to address them. 2. The youth in the intervention will participate in a peer mentorship program called TeenAge Health Consultants (TAHC) consisting of 16 weekly virtual sessions where they interact with other youth to learn about important topics including how to deal with conflict, stay out of trouble, deal with stress, avoid drugs and other topics. Researchers will compare the intervention group to a control group that will receive the usual care to see if the intervention group shows improvement in symptoms compared to the usual care group.
Children either living in the streets of Bujumbara or that are similarly affected by extreme poverty or violence are regularly exposed to traumatic events. Additionally, they often find themselves in situations where engaging in violent behavior appears to be useful or even necessary for survival. The Narrative Exposure Therapy for violent offenders (FORNET) aims to reduce both PTSD symptoms and aggressive behavior. It helps the children to anchor fearful experiences and potential positive emotions linked to violent behaviour in the past. Additionally, visions for the future are developed in order to enable reintegration into the family. The investigators want to provide evidence, that FORNET effectively reduces PTSD symptoms and ongoing aggressive behavior which in change facilitates reintegration into society.
Soldiers deployed in peace-keeping missions as well as ex-combatants in conflict or former conflict regions were and are often exposed to multiple traumatic events and situations in which they are forced to engage in violent behavior. The treatment program Formation, Orientation and Rehabilitation by means of Narrative Exposure Therapy (FORNET) is a short-term, culturally sensitive treatment approach that aims to reduce Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as the risk to engage in uncontrolled violent behavior. Addressing trauma-related mental disorders as well as emotions related to aggression by means of FORNET is expected to facilitate reintegration in civil life and reduce uncontrolled violence. The investigators want to provide evidence, that FORNET is an effective and efficient module to assist soldiers after deployment in Somalia and/or male and female ex-combatants who fought in the civil war in Burundi. In addition the investigators aim to explore how traumatic incidences and maltreatment during childhood may influence treatment outcomes.
Escalating violence is omnipresent in South African townships and can be traced back to two core mechanisms: a trauma-related hyper-arousal and a positive rewarding perception of violence. In the past, there was no therapeutic intervention available addressing both, trauma and the so-called appetitive aggression. The University of Konstanz has developed a culturally sensitive and scientifically based short-term intervention for the treatment of traumatized patients, the Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), that has proven its effectiveness in various randomized clinical studies in different war-affected populations. Recently, the NET has been adapted for the forensic offender rehabilitation (FORNET) by also addressing the perpetration of violence related to a self-rewarding perception of the exposure with violence. It has shown to be effective in reducing the number of committed offenses in a perpetrator sample in Burundi and to reduce PTSD symptoms in a perpetrator sample in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic efficiency of FORNET in a randomized clinical control trial with a sample of former offenders of the townships of Cape Town. In addition to the previous studies, we specifically addressed the context of ongoing stress and linked our findings to epigenetic markers of stress and violence. Participants were followed over a period of up to 25-months post-treatment. The FORNET was also disseminated to local staff of our collaboration partners from the South African Universities and an organization working in the townships to warrant sustainability of the therapeutic intervention.
Soldiers in conflict or former conflict regions deployed in peace-keeping missions were and are often exposed to multiple traumatic events and situations in which they are forced to engage in violent behavior. The Preventive Narrative Exposure Therapy (Pre-NET) aims to reinforce resilience thereby reducing the risk of developing or aggravating PTSD or other mental disorders as a result of traumatic experiences. The effective prevention of mental disorders as a result of war deployment is expected to facilitate reintegration in civil life after deployment and reduce uncontrolled violence.
The planned study will randomly assign aggressive children to one of two versions of the Coping Power child component. The two versions of Coping Power will either deliver the child component of the program in the usual small group format (Group Coping Power: GCP) or in a newly-developed individual format (Individual Coping Power: ICP). By providing a direct comparison of two different formats of the same intervention, the planned study's design will fill a critical gap in our current understanding of the relative effectiveness of group vs. individual programs. Further, this study will allow for examination of the specific factors that influence relative effectiveness of these two formats, important information with broad implications for program development, training of clinicians, and intervention implementation.
Street children and children of vulnerable families in conflict or former conflict regions are often exposed to multiple traumatic events and situations in which they are forced to engage in violent behavior. The Narrative Exposure Therapy for violent offenders (NETvo) aims to reduce both PTSD symptoms and aggressive behavior. It helps the children to anchor fearful experiences and positive emotions linked to violent behaviour in the past. Additionally, visions for the future are developed in order to foster successful reintegration into society.
This study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine what happens in the brains of adolescents when they are exposed to violent media and how imagining aggressive behavior affects brain function. The study will measure physiological changes (such as the amount of electricity generated by the skin, heart rate, and breathing rate) related to these tasks during fMRI. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. For fMRI, the subject performs certain tasks during the MRI scanning to examine changes in the brain regions that are involved with those tasks. During the scan, the subject lies in a metal cylinder (the scanner), wearing earplugs to muffle loud noises that occur with the scanning. Healthy right-handed native English-speaking males between 14 and 17 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a neurological examination and neuropsychological testing that includes questions about their feelings, experiences, and behavior, and tests of reading level and intelligence. Participants undergo fMRI and fill out questionnaires before and after the scanning. Some children are asked to play 20 minutes of video games before the test. During the scan, the child views short neutral video clips and video clips of people fighting or imagine self-defense situations. The child is asked to rate the video clips for their aggressive content or tell how he or she feels about the imagined situations. Two small straps are wrapped around the child's index and middle fingers to measure changes in the amount of electricity generated by the skin, and a strap at the ring finger measures the child's heart rate. A band around the child's chest records breathing rates. Children who cannot or do not want to undergo MRI testing may be asked to view commercially available video clips of people fighting and neutral video scenes, such as sports scenes. They are asked to rate them on their violent content and excitement, or to rate the video games they have played on their violent/nonviolent content and their popularity. In addition, the children fill out questionnaires about their media use and exposure to violence. All participating families are contacted by telephone 1 day and 2 weeks after the experiment for parents to answer questions about how the child has been doing and for the children to answer questions about their feelings.