Session: Engaging Peers in Prevention and Intervention Efforts to Improve Outcomes for at-Risk High School Students (Society for Prevention Research 25th Annual Meeting)

SESSION INTRODUCTION: This symposium will present a series of interventions that involve peers in efforts to improve social and academic outcomes for high school students with and without disabilities. Social relationships are critical during adolescence, as the amount of time spent with friends and peers increases, youth become increasingly sensitive to peer acceptance, and peers take on a greater role in providing social support. Prosocial and successful peers may be well-positioned to help younger or struggling students navigate the demands of high school and improve school connectedness, academic achievement, and social outcomes. The symposium will bring together researchers who are employing different approaches to involving peers in high school prevention and intervention efforts – as social mentors, interventionists, and academic tutors. The symposium supports the following conference themes: Development and Testing of Interventions & Prevention in Primary Care: Investments, Policy, and Implementation.

The first two presentations will focus on newly developed approaches with a peer support component. The first will describe a universal prevention model designed to increase 9th graders’ school engagement. In addition to a classroom-based curriculum and practice opportunities, the model engages advanced students as mentors and models to help 9th graders navigate high school. The presentation will highlight the process used to develop the model and preliminary findings related to its usability and feasibility. The second will describe the development of a behavioral intervention to improve academic and behavioral outcomes for 9th graders with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or similar symptoms. The presentation will describe efforts to develop and test implementation strategies to support the adoption of evidence-based behavioral interventions implemented by older, successful high school peer mentors under the supervision of a faculty member. The third presentation will focus on evidence-based peer approaches to supporting students with disabilities. It will discuss the results of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of two peer support arrangements (peer support and peer network interventions) in promoting the inclusion of high schoolers with severe intellectual disabilities. Both arrangements involve pairing a student with a severe disability with one or more students without disabilities who can provide academic and/or social support.

After the presentations, there will be a discussion between the presenters and the attendees. This symposium is expected to appeal to participants with an interest in the use of peer mentors to promote positive academic, social, and behavioral outcomes for high school students.