2.4. Procedure
ORI, traumatic
MAY
The Institutional Review Board of the first author’s former university approved this study (15/05-310). The school principal notified students of the study and the accompanying intervention, which was advertised as having been integrated into the school curriculum for those interested. Students were informed that the school was offering support groups to discuss their feelings for any student who wanted to participate. These groups would continue for the duration of the school year. Students chose to take part in the study without any selection process based on prior traumatic experiences. Those who expressed interest in participating were given the chance to do so after obtaining a verbal assent from the student and written permission from the student’s legal guardian. Students and legal guardians consented to student participation in one of two group interventions for eight months as well as completion of a series of questionnaires in a group setting in October (T1) and May (T2). Students completed the ORI and CPSS in approximately 20 min in one sitting. The primary group leader completed the AAQ on each of her or his own participants to determine participants’ attachment security. The school principal also issued a letter authorizing student involvement in the research. Data on each child were obtained from school databases. Participants in the study were insured confidentiality. A study ID was given to each individual so that they could answer the questions without revealing their identities. Those who participated in the investigation did not receive any form of compensation.The school principal permitted student randomized assignment to two intervention conditions delivered in weekly, one-hour group interventions (STSA-A, MBT-G; previously described) regularly scheduled as part of the school curriculum (see To test whether participants differed from nonparticipants, we collected semester grade-point averages (GPAs) from all students in January and in June at the end of the academic year. An independent-samples A senior-level clinician supervised the group leaders, who were licensed clinical psychologists, social workers, and clinical psychology externs. Each group consisted of a primary and an assistant group leader. To insure adherence to the manuals of the two group interventions, the supervisor conducted weekly 1.5 h supervision groups for the four group leaders in each intervention condition. The eight group leaders available to lead the four groups each year (two STSA-A groups, two MBT-G groups) were randomly assigned to one of the two intervention conditions to prevent allegiance effects. The two developers of STSA-A and MBT-G certified the supervisor in the conduct of both STSA-A and MBT-G and made themselves frequently available to consult with the supervisor about any issues that arose in the groups.Students remained in the group for the full academic year. The ORI, the AAQ, and the CPSS were administered at T1 (prior to the first group session) and T2 (after the final group session) to assess students’ progress and to test the hypotheses.