Virtual intervention to decrease adolescent aggression during the COVID pandemic

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21615/cesp.7048

Keywords:

virtual intervention, aggression, positive emotions, adolescents, COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic containment measures, the levels of externalizing problems among adolescents increased. Héroe is a virtual program that seeks to stimulate positive socioemotional variables in adolescents and was implemented during the COVID-19 confinement in Argentina. This study aims to evaluate whether this program inhibits aggressive behavior in adolescents during the pandemic. This is an experimental, field, and longitudinal study; a pretest-posttest design was used with a follow-up evaluation three months after the end of the intervention with an experimental and a control group. Eighty-eight adolescents participated in the intervention group (51% female, M age = 13.52, SD = 1.04) and 102 adolescents in the wait-list control group (58% female, M age = 13.59, SD = .91). Results indicate that aggressive behavior decreased in the intervention group, whereas it increased in the control group. These findings provide evidence for the role of virtual interventions in decreasing adolescent disruptive behaviors during the COVID-19 confinement and their effectiveness in working with adolescents.

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Author Biographies

Belén Mesurado, CONICET - Universidad Austral

Doctor in Psychology. Research Professor, CONICET - National Council for Scientific and Technical Research. Institute of Philosophy, Universidad Austral, Argentina.

María Emilia Oñate, CONICET - Universidad Austral

Doctor in Psychology. Postdoctoral fellow from the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the Institute of Philosophy, Universidad Austral, Argentina.

Santiago Alejandro Resett, Universidad Austral /CONICET

Doctor in Psychology. Research Professor, CONICET - National Council for Scientific and Technical Research. Institute of Philosophy, Universidad Austral, Argentina.

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Published

2024-03-16

How to Cite

Mesurado, B., Oñate, M. E., & Resett, S. A. (2024). Virtual intervention to decrease adolescent aggression during the COVID pandemic. CES Psicología, 17(1), 87–101. https://doi.org/10.21615/cesp.7048
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