David Cro
Biographic Data
| ID | 95506 |
|---|---|
| NAME | David Cro |
| GIVEN NAMES | David |
| FAMILY NAME | Cro |
| SIGNATURE | CRO D |
| AFFILIATIONS | The Kids Research Institute Australia |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6217-5058 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 74 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 41 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1976 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 7 |
Population Perspectives on Nurturing Relational Health from Early Life
Opportunities to Improve the Implementation of Relational Health Interventions for Children and Families
Despite the availability of universally delivered evidence-based relational health interventions, their wide-scale translation into practice is slow and unsustained. Measuring implementation outcomes within intervention trials is critical to understand their effectiveness and inform future scaling. This study aimed to determine the extent to which universally delivered relational health interventions measured and reported on implementation outcom…
Mapping What Works to Strengthen the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development
The development of secure bonds between children and adult carers, particularly parents, is determined by a complex ecosystem of relationships that includes parents, care providers in other settings, and the values and institutions that care for those who care for children. Here we conduct a scoping review to map scientific progress in the development of evidence based interventions across all levels of relational ecology of early child developme…
Decolonizing Schooling
The Education Department of Western Australia advocates for culturally responsive schools. Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officers (AIEOs) are employed by schools to facilitate and enable the potential for Aboriginal school children to thrive in school settings. This article describes the values that AIEOs, parents, and teachers emphasized as being important in responding to Aboriginal students, through yarning circles organized in the first yea…
Educating the educated
The Moombaki (where the river meets the sky) study hypothesises that increasing the knowledge and pride that Aboriginal children have of their identity will contribute positively toward their education, health and well-being outcomes. Through research yarning circles conducted at three urban primary schools in Boorloo (Perth), Aboriginal educators (Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers [AIEOs] and teachers) described how to respond to Aborig…
Koorlangka Dreaming Becomes a Reality
In this paper, we describe the developmental process of a culturally grounded Moombaki virtual reality (VR) game. We share how Aboriginal children’s drawings have informed the creation of an interactive learning platform for primary school-aged children attending schools in Wadjuk Boodja. The project focused on connecting students to cultural knowledge through immersive storytelling, creative exploration, and collaborative design by using small g…
Truth-telling, truth-listening and opportunities for ensuring school cultural safety for Aboriginal students and Aboriginal educators in three primary schools in Western Australia
Effects of a positive education programme on secondary school students’ mental health and wellbeing; challenges of the school context
Previous research has demonstrated wellbeing benefits for positive education programmes (PEPs) facilitated by clinicians or experts or outside the school context. The current study explored the effects of a Year 10 PEP led by teachers trained in positive education and embedded within the Australian secondary school context. A mixed-methods design compared students receiving PEP (n = 119) with a wellbeing-as-usual comparison group (n = 34) matched…
Youth experiences of co-designing a well-being intervention
Co-design and youth participatory action research are promising methodologies for increasing youth engagement in well-being interventions. The current study included 10 recent high school graduates employed as youth advisors to co-design a youth-friendly positive psychology intervention targeting the post-school transition. The youth advisors received foundational training in positive psychology, psychological needs theory and emerging adulthood.…
Story to Change Culture on Early Childhood in Australia
The goal of the article is to support the early childhood sector's efforts to increase the salience of early childhood as a social issue and change policy and practice to better support young children and their families. Cultural models shape how people think about social issues and support solutions. Changing how issues are framed-how they are presented, positioned and focused-can help shift these models and facilitate culture change. Using mixe…
Models of school breakfast program implementation in Western Australia and the implications for supporting disadvantaged students
A substantial body of literature points to the educational and social benefits of school breakfast programs. Most high-income countries provide free or subsidized school breakfasts to support disadvantaged children. Australia does not have a nationally-funded school meal program. Instead, charitable organizations offer school breakfast programs on a voluntary basis, often with funding support from state/territory governments. Decisions about part…
Variation in the prevalence of different forms of bullying victimisation among adolescents and their associations with family, peer and school connectedness
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00451-8
Gender-Neutral Toilets
School toilets have been identified by sexuality and gender diverse (SGD) students as the least safe spaces in educational institutions. They are sites of verbal, physical and sexual victimisation. Providing gender-neutral toilets in primary and secondary schools may reduce the bullying and victimisation of SGD students, particularly those who are transgender or gender-diverse. This study explored factors influencing the inclusion of gender-neutr…
School Built Environments and Bullying Behaviour
Interest in how the school built environment impacts bullying behaviour has gained momentum in recent years. While numerous studies have identified locations within schools where bullying frequently occurs, few studies have investigated the potential conceptual pathways linking school locations to bullying behaviour. This study aimed to (i) identify school built environment factors that may prevent or facilitate bullying behaviour in primary and …
Sexualized Images on Social Media and Adolescent Girls’ Mental Health
This research explored adults' perceptions of how sexualized images typically found on social media might influence adolescent girls' mental health, what support girls might need should they experience mental health difficulties, and how such difficulties could be prevented or reduced. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews with parents of adolescent girls (n = 11) and those who provide support to them: school s…
Evaluating the effectiveness of the Play Active policy intervention and implementation support in early childhood education and care
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620001206910 (date of registration 13/11/2020)
How does the school built environment impact students’ bullying behaviour? A scoping review
Detect Schools Study Protocol
Introduction: Amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to providing peace of mind for the community and informing policy-making decisions. While available data suggest that school-aged children are not significant spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission in schools remains an ongoing concern, especially among an aging teaching workforce. Even in low-prevalence se…
Combining whole‐school and targeted programs for the reduction of bullying victimization
Despite the extensive evaluation of school‐based interventions for bullying, victimization remains a significant problem in schools. Bullying victimization is significantly predicted by contextual (school‐related) factors. As a consequence whole‐school programs have been commonly used to prevent and reduce bullying victimization. Evidence also points to individual risk factors (such as emotional distress) in predicting victimization, yet programs…
Moral Disengagement of Pure Bullies and Bully/Victims
More than words
Studying the attachment representations of child welfare workers can benefit workers and the vulnerable populations they serve. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is the most widely used and well-validated measure of adult attachment but is also costly and time-consuming to score. Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), a text-analysis software program, has the potential to lessen the burden of AAI scoring, making it a lower-cost, faster option f…
Arguments online, but in school we always act normal”
Beyond the reactive‐proactive dichotomy
The role of reactive and proactive aggression in school bullying perpetration remains unclear. In this study, we explore the predictive value of an expanded model of aggression motives based on the Quadripartite Violence Typology (QVT), which distinguishes between motivational valence (appetitive or aversive) and recruitment of deliberative self-control to derive four classes of motives: Rage, Revenge, Reward, and Recreation. With a sample of 1,8…
Bullying and mental health amongst Australian children and young people with cystic fibrosis
Currently, there is little research investigating how schools can support the mental health and social development of young people with cystic fibrosis (CF), given their heightened risk of mental illness. Few studies have examined the relationship between bullying and mental health in populations of children with CF. This study describes the peer bullying experiences of young people with CF, and examines associations between school bullying and t…
Does the Risk Outweigh the Benefits? Adolescent Responses to Completing Health Surveys
The aim of this study is to describe the self-reported experiences of adolescents in population-based samples when completing health-related surveys on topics with varying potential for evoking distress. Survey data were collected in three school-based studies of bullying behaviors (N = 1,771, 12-14 years), alcohol use (N = 823, 12, 15, and 17 years), and electronic image sharing (N = 274, 13 years). Between 5% and 15% of respondents reported bei…
Beyond the reactive‐proactive dichotomy
The role of reactive and proactive aggression in school bullying perpetration remains unclear. In this study, we explore the predictive value of an expanded model of aggression motives based on the Quadripartite Violence Typology (QVT), which distinguishes between motivational valence (appetitive or aversive) and recruitment of deliberative self-control to derive four classes of motives: Rage, Revenge, Reward, and Recreation. With a sample of 1,8…
Using Systems Theory to Understand and Respond to Family Influences on Children's Bullying Behavior
This article addresses Systems Theory as it applies to school-age children's bullying behavior. It focuses on the interrelationships, mutual influences, and dynamics of relationships within the family, and how these may affect children's behavior toward their peers. The theory helps to explain the ways family patterns are reflected in children's negative interactions with peers, particularly bullying behavior. As such, Systems Theory was used to …
Bias in student survey findings from active parental consent procedures
Increasingly, researchers are required to obtain active (explicit) parental consent prior to surveying children and adolescents in schools. This study assessed the potential bias present in a sample of actively consented students, and in the estimates of associations between variables obtained from this sample. Students (n = 3496) from 36 non‐government metropolitan schools in Perth, Western Australia completed an online survey in 2010 as part of…
Three‐year results of the Friendly Schools whole‐of‐school intervention on children's bullying behaviour
A group randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the Friendly Schools program to reduce student bullying behaviour. This socio‐ecological intervention targeted the whole school, classroom, family, and individual students to reduce bullying behaviour. Self‐report data were collected in 29 schools over three years from a cohort of 1968 eight to nine‐year‐olds. Surveys measured frequency of being bullied, bullying others, telling if bullie…
Moral Disengagement of Pure Bullies and Bully/Victims
Longitudinal impact of the Cyber Friendly Schools program on adolescents’ cyberbullying behavior
Cyberbullying is a major public health problem associated with serious mental, social, and academic consequences for young people. To date, few programs addressing cyberbullying have been developed and empirically tested. The Cyber Friendly Schools (CFS) group-randomized controlled trial measured the longitudinal impact of a whole-school online cyberbullying prevention and intervention program, developed in partnership with young people. Non-gove…
Does the nature of schools matter? An exploration of selected school ecology factors on adolescent perceptions of school connectedness
BackgroundConnectedness to school is a significant predictor of adolescent health and academic outcomes. While individual predictors of connectedness have been well-described, little is known about school-level factors which may influence connectedness. A school's ecology, or its structural, functional, and built aspects, coupled with interpersonal interactions, may also help to enhance adolescent connectedness.AimThis study aims to identify scho…
Adolescent perceptions of bystanders’ responses to cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can be harmful to adolescents using online technology, and one way of combating it may be to use interventions that have been successfully utilised for traditional bullying, such as encouraging peer bystander intervention. The online environment, however, differs notably from the environment in which traditional bullying takes place raising questions about the suitability of transferring traditional bullying approaches to the cyber …
Bullying in an Aboriginal Context
Aboriginal children appear to be more likely to be involved in bullying than non-Aboriginal children. This paper describes part of the "Solid Kids Solid Schools" research process and discusses some of the results from this three year study involving over 260 Aboriginal children, youth, elders, teachers and Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officers (AIEO's), and an Aboriginal led and developed Steering Committee. It is the first study that contextu…
The calibration and cross-modal validation of ratio scales of political opinion in survey research
Combining whole‐school and targeted programs for the reduction of bullying victimization
Despite the extensive evaluation of school‐based interventions for bullying, victimization remains a significant problem in schools. Bullying victimization is significantly predicted by contextual (school‐related) factors. As a consequence whole‐school programs have been commonly used to prevent and reduce bullying victimization. Evidence also points to individual risk factors (such as emotional distress) in predicting victimization, yet programs…
Arguments online, but in school we always act normal”
The calibration and cross-modal validation of ratio scales of political opinion in survey research
The Power of Peers
Utilizing an interactionist perspective, two associated sensitizing constructs, and a combination of social psychological theory, this article reports on the influence of the peer group on individual perceptions, and its impact on initiation and persistence of bullying. The specific research question, “How does the need to conform with peers and the peer group influence the initiation and persistence of bullying others?” is investigated. Semistru…
Cyberbullying Versus Face-to-Face Bullying
Cyberbullying has been described as a type of electronic bullying and has recently been subjected to intense media scrutiny largely due to a number of high profile and tragic cases of teen suicide. Despite the media attention relatively little is known about the nature of cyberbullying. This is, at least in part, due to a lack of theoretical and conceptual clarity and an examination of the similarities and differences between cyberbullying and fa…
Implementing a standardized community-based cardiovascular risk assessment program in 20 Ontario communities
The aim of the study is to describe the implementation of the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) in 20 mid-sized communities across Ontario, Canada, and identify key factors in the successful multi-site delivery of a collaborative cardiovascular risk assessment and management program. Lead organizations were identified and contracted following a request for proposals. An Implementation Guide detailed steps in community mobilization an…
That Could Be Me Squishing Chips on Someone’s Car.” How Friends Can Positively Influence Bullying Behaviors
Does the nature of schools matter? An exploration of selected school ecology factors on adolescent perceptions of school connectedness
BackgroundConnectedness to school is a significant predictor of adolescent health and academic outcomes. While individual predictors of connectedness have been well-described, little is known about school-level factors which may influence connectedness. A school's ecology, or its structural, functional, and built aspects, coupled with interpersonal interactions, may also help to enhance adolescent connectedness.AimThis study aims to identify scho…
Bullying in an Aboriginal Context
Aboriginal children appear to be more likely to be involved in bullying than non-Aboriginal children. This paper describes part of the "Solid Kids Solid Schools" research process and discusses some of the results from this three year study involving over 260 Aboriginal children, youth, elders, teachers and Aboriginal Indigenous Education Officers (AIEO's), and an Aboriginal led and developed Steering Committee. It is the first study that contextu…
Three‐year results of the Friendly Schools whole‐of‐school intervention on children's bullying behaviour
A group randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the Friendly Schools program to reduce student bullying behaviour. This socio‐ecological intervention targeted the whole school, classroom, family, and individual students to reduce bullying behaviour. Self‐report data were collected in 29 schools over three years from a cohort of 1968 eight to nine‐year‐olds. Surveys measured frequency of being bullied, bullying others, telling if bullie…
Using Systems Theory to Understand and Respond to Family Influences on Children's Bullying Behavior
This article addresses Systems Theory as it applies to school-age children's bullying behavior. It focuses on the interrelationships, mutual influences, and dynamics of relationships within the family, and how these may affect children's behavior toward their peers. The theory helps to explain the ways family patterns are reflected in children's negative interactions with peers, particularly bullying behavior. As such, Systems Theory was used to …
A social–ecological framework for understanding and reducing cyberbullying behaviours
A longitudinal study of the social and emotional predictors and consequences of cyber and traditional bullying victimisation
The Relationship Between School Climate and Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Over the Transition from Primary to Secondary School
BACKGROUND: School climate has often been described as the "quality and character of school life", including both social and physical aspects of the school, that can positively promote behaviour, school achievement, and the social and emotional development of students. METHODS: The current study examined the relationship between students' mental and emotional wellbeing and factors pertaining to school climate, focussing on the domains of safety, …
Risk factors in adolescents’ involvement in violent behaviours
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine risk factors associated with Western Australian secondary school students’ involvement in violence-related behaviours. Design/methodology/approach – This cross-sectional study examined data collected using an anonymous self-completion questionnaire from 542 school students aged 13-17 years. The questionnaire measured risk factors associated with being a perpetrator and/or victim of violence-relate…
Adolescent perceptions of bystanders’ responses to cyberbullying
Cyberbullying can be harmful to adolescents using online technology, and one way of combating it may be to use interventions that have been successfully utilised for traditional bullying, such as encouraging peer bystander intervention. The online environment, however, differs notably from the environment in which traditional bullying takes place raising questions about the suitability of transferring traditional bullying approaches to the cyber …
Bias in student survey findings from active parental consent procedures
Increasingly, researchers are required to obtain active (explicit) parental consent prior to surveying children and adolescents in schools. This study assessed the potential bias present in a sample of actively consented students, and in the estimates of associations between variables obtained from this sample. Students (n = 3496) from 36 non‐government metropolitan schools in Perth, Western Australia completed an online survey in 2010 as part of…
Longitudinal impact of the Cyber Friendly Schools program on adolescents’ cyberbullying behavior
Cyberbullying is a major public health problem associated with serious mental, social, and academic consequences for young people. To date, few programs addressing cyberbullying have been developed and empirically tested. The Cyber Friendly Schools (CFS) group-randomized controlled trial measured the longitudinal impact of a whole-school online cyberbullying prevention and intervention program, developed in partnership with young people. Non-gove…
Does the Risk Outweigh the Benefits? Adolescent Responses to Completing Health Surveys
The aim of this study is to describe the self-reported experiences of adolescents in population-based samples when completing health-related surveys on topics with varying potential for evoking distress. Survey data were collected in three school-based studies of bullying behaviors (N = 1,771, 12-14 years), alcohol use (N = 823, 12, 15, and 17 years), and electronic image sharing (N = 274, 13 years). Between 5% and 15% of respondents reported bei…
Arguments online, but in school we always act normal”
Beyond the reactive‐proactive dichotomy
The role of reactive and proactive aggression in school bullying perpetration remains unclear. In this study, we explore the predictive value of an expanded model of aggression motives based on the Quadripartite Violence Typology (QVT), which distinguishes between motivational valence (appetitive or aversive) and recruitment of deliberative self-control to derive four classes of motives: Rage, Revenge, Reward, and Recreation. With a sample of 1,8…
Bullying and mental health amongst Australian children and young people with cystic fibrosis
Currently, there is little research investigating how schools can support the mental health and social development of young people with cystic fibrosis (CF), given their heightened risk of mental illness. Few studies have examined the relationship between bullying and mental health in populations of children with CF. This study describes the peer bullying experiences of young people with CF, and examines associations between school bullying and t…
Moral Disengagement of Pure Bullies and Bully/Victims
More than words
Studying the attachment representations of child welfare workers can benefit workers and the vulnerable populations they serve. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is the most widely used and well-validated measure of adult attachment but is also costly and time-consuming to score. Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC), a text-analysis software program, has the potential to lessen the burden of AAI scoring, making it a lower-cost, faster option f…
Combining whole‐school and targeted programs for the reduction of bullying victimization
Despite the extensive evaluation of school‐based interventions for bullying, victimization remains a significant problem in schools. Bullying victimization is significantly predicted by contextual (school‐related) factors. As a consequence whole‐school programs have been commonly used to prevent and reduce bullying victimization. Evidence also points to individual risk factors (such as emotional distress) in predicting victimization, yet programs…
Detect Schools Study Protocol
Introduction: Amidst the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the transmission dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is key to providing peace of mind for the community and informing policy-making decisions. While available data suggest that school-aged children are not significant spreaders of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of transmission in schools remains an ongoing concern, especially among an aging teaching workforce. Even in low-prevalence se…
Variation in the prevalence of different forms of bullying victimisation among adolescents and their associations with family, peer and school connectedness
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00451-8
Psychology (32 works) · Medicine (23 works) · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression (20 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Developmental psychology (18 works) · Poison control (13 works) · Environmental health (11 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Suicide prevention (11 works)