SAFE schools: Feasibility and impact of a universal comprehensive approach to managing adolescent aggressive behavior in schools

• Schools were resistant, possibly because of a dealignment between the schools’ culture and the proposed model for change. • Resistance may have shown in low intervention fidelity and students’ self-reports being inconsistent with school referrals. • Diverse data inform an increase in students’ self-reported aggression, possibly manifesting increased awareness. • Diverse data indicate that teachers adopted a more authoritative teaching style after the intervention. • A bottom-up approach better aligned with schools’ needs and stages of motivation to change seems warranted. We investigated the feasibility and outcomes of ‘SAFE schools’, a comprehensive and universal intervention approach to school-based adolescent aggression, applied to students and/or teachers. Though a minority of schools were receptive to the intervention, those who were considered the interventions socially valid. Quantitative data taken from 145 students and 53 teachers allocated to one of four conditions (i.e., teacher-only, student-only, combined intervention, no-intervention) show increased relational and reputational aggression for all conditions and increased overt aggression for the combined intervention, from pre- to post-intervention. Alternatively, students reported increased awareness of their difficulties and perceived relevant changes following the intervention. An increased use of an authoritarian teaching style was observed in the teachers-only condition. Qualitative data suggests increased knowledge on aggressive behavior and the adoption of alternative behaviors by both students and teachers. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between awareness and behavioral practice, as well as considering the characteristics of school contexts and the target population when implementing interventions and accessing outcomes.