2019 Volume 45 Issue 3 Pages 115-124
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of class-wide positive peer reporting (PPR) and group-oriented contingency intervention program on depressive symptoms. In the PPR intervention, children were encouraged to monitor and report peers’ incidental prosocial behaviors. In conjunction with the PPR, interdependent group-oriented contingency, in which the entire class received a predetermined group reinforcer when the class met their cumulative goal (i.e., 100 reports), was also conducted. Thirty-three children (20 boys and 13 girls) from fifth grade participated in the intervention program for a duration of 25 days. Comparison of pre and post intervention results indicated that PPR in combination with a group-oriented contingency procedure decreased children’s depressive symptoms significantly. These results indicate that PPR intervention has the possibility to improve depressive symptoms in elementary school children and supports the interpersonal model of depression in Japanese children. Additionally, the results indicate a need for further investigation on ways of dealing with the social environment to prevent depression in children.
