Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies

Prevention; Ages 5–12

Risk Factors

Individual: Antisocial/delinquent beliefs; Conduct disorders (authority conflict/rebellious/stubborn/disruptive/antisocial); Early and persistent noncompliant behavior; Early onset of aggression/violence; General delinquency involvement; High alcohol/drug use; Hyperactive (impulsive, attention problems); Low intelligence quotient; Low perceived likelihood of being caught; Poor refusal skills

Family: Abusive parents; Antisocial parents; Broken home/changes in caretaker; Family violence (child maltreatment, partner violence, conflict); High parental stress/maternal depression; Parent proviolent attitudes; Parental use of physical punishment/harsh and/or erratic discipline practices; Poor parental supervision (control, monitoring, and child management); Poor parent-child relations or communication; Unhappy parents

School: Bullying; Frequent school transitions; Frequent truancy/absences/suspensions; expelled from school; dropping out of school; Identified as learning disabled; Low academic aspirations; Low achievement in school; Low school attachment/bonding/motivation/commitment to school; Old for grade/repeated a grade; Poor student-teacher relations; Poorly defined rules and expectations for appropriate conduct; Student failure in the first grade

Peer: Association with antisocial/aggressive/delinquent peers; high peer delinquency; Peer rejection

Description

Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies (PATHS) is a comprehensive program for promoting emotional and social competencies and reducing aggression and acting-out behaviors in elementary school-aged children, while simultaneously enhancing the educational process in the classroom. This innovative curriculum for kindergarten through sixth grade (ages 5 to 12) is used by educators and counselors as a multiyear prevention model. PATHS has been field-tested and researched with children in regular education classroom settings, as well as with a variety of special needs students (deaf, hearing-impaired, learning disabled, emotionally disturbed, mildly mentally delayed, and gifted). Ideally, it should be initiated at the entrance to schooling and continue through Grade 5.

The PATHS curriculum provides teachers with systematic and developmentally based lessons, materials, and instructions for teaching their students:

Emotional literacy
Self-control
Social competence
Positive peer relations
Interpersonal problem-solving skills

The PATHS curriculum has been shown to improve protective factors and reduce behavioral risk factors. Evaluations have demonstrated significant improvements for program youth (regular education, special needs, and deaf) compared to control youth in the following areas:

Improved self-control
Improved understanding and recognition of emotions
Increased ability to tolerate frustration
Use of more effective conflict-resolution strategies
Improved thinking and planning skills
Decreased anxiety/depressive symptoms (teacher report of special needs students)
Decreased conduct problems (teacher report of special needs students)
Decreased symptoms of sadness and depression (child report—special needs)
Decreased report of conduct problems, including aggression (child report)

Endorsements

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Model program

OJJDP Blueprints Project: Effective program

U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Youth Violence: Promising program

Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, U.S. Department of Education: Promising program

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Best Practices in Youth Violence Prevention Program

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning: SELect Program

Contacts

Carol A. Kusché, Ph.D.
PATHS Training, LLC
927 Tenth Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: (206) 323-6688
E-mail: ckusche@comcast.net

Program Materials

Channing Bete Company
One Community Place
South Deerfield, MA 01373
Phone: (877) 896-8532
Fax: (800) 499-6464
E-mail: prevsci@channing-bete.com
Web site: http://www.channing-bete.com/prevention-programs/paths/

References

Greenberg, M. T.; Kusché, C.; and Mihalic, S. F. (1998). Blueprints for Violence Prevention, Book Ten: Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS). Boulder, CO: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence.