Using the Caught Being Good Game in the Community: Increasing Prosocial Behaviors Among Children at Risk of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with numerous negative outcomes, including negative health outcomes, poor psychological well-being, future substance abuse, and other antisocial behaviors. However, social support may act as a buffer against these negative outcomes. Group contingencies provide one way to simultaneously encourage social inclusion and prosocial behaviors. The Caught Being Good Game (CBGG) is a reinforcement-based behavioral intervention, similar to the Good Behavior Game, commonly used in classrooms to target disruptive behaviors or academic engagement. The current study explored the use of the CBGG for increasing three types of prosocial behavior of children with suspected experiences of ACEs attending afterschool services in Dublin, Ireland. The CBGG was played with the whole group during activity time in the center. Intervention effects were assessed using a withdrawal design. Visual and statistical analyses deemed the CBGG an effective method for targeting encouragement, peer cooperation, and leader cooperation of the whole group and one 9-year-old girl who was chosen as a target for the intervention. The group leader rated the CBGG somewhat favorably while the children themselves rated the CBGG highly. Future research should seek to further explore leaders’ assessments of social validity and introduce methods for adult leaders to be involved in data collection.