Debra Pepler
Biographic Data
| ID | 4144958 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Debra Pepler |
| GIVEN NAMES | Debra |
| FAMILY NAME | Pepler |
| SIGNATURE | PEPLER D |
| AFFILIATIONS | York University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2505-289X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 55 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 441 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 55 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Indigenous Community Mobilization for Violence Prevention
For over 25 years, the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) has been invited into Indigenous communities across Canada to support them in mobilizing to prevent violence and create safe environments to promote wellness for children and youth. We collaborated with four Indigenous communities to understand community mobilization processes. Community-based researchers ensured that the research was culturally appropriate. Conversations with community members who …
From private to public: Analyzing the dynamics of nonconsensual sexts in the digital age
Previous research has found that gender is central to both consensually sending and receiving sexts and nonconsensual sharing. This research often spotlights girls as being responsible and explains that boys’ roles as perpetrators in these interactions are made invisible. We aimed to investigate the feelings, harms, responses, and dynamics of nonconsensual sexting in a sample of Canadian adolescents. Exploratory surveys were administered to adole…
A comparative effectiveness study of the Breaking the Cycle and Maxxine Wright intervention programs for substance-involved mothers and their children: Study protocol
There is a pressing need to identify interventions that promote the mental health of infants and young children exposed to early adversity. Bringing together an inter-disciplinary research team and community partners, this study aligns with national strategies to establish strong evidence for infant mental health interventions that reduce child exposure to ACEs and support the mother-child relationship. This study was registered with clinicaltria…
Adherence to and Motivations for Complying With Public Health Measures Among Adolescents During the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) Pandemic in Canada
Background: Public health measures (e.g., minimizing social interactions, social distancing, and mask wearing) have been implemented in Canada to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Given that adolescents may be a high-risk demographic for spreading COVID-19, this study investigated adherence to and motivations for complying with public health measures among Canadian youth at two points of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Adolescents ( N = 1,484,…
A Qualitative Examination of Mothers’ Experiences in an Interpersonal Violence Intervention Initiative
Community Journey of Change Through Relational Determinants of Health
This article describes a model that maps Indigenous communities’ journeys from the cycle of violence arising from colonization to the circle of wellness through relational determinants of health. This model emerged from learning with Indigenous communities participating in research on violence prevention programming with the Canadian Red Cross. Indigenous communities have shown us that they are returning to a place of thriving by restoring relati…
School bullying before and during Covid‐19: Results from a population‐based randomized design
We examined the impact of COVID‐19 on bullying prevalence rates in a sample of 6578 Canadian students in Grades 4 to 12. To account for school changes associated with the pandemic, students were randomized at the school level into two conditions: (1) the pre‐COVID‐19 condition, assessing bullying prevalence rates retrospectively before the pandemic, and (2) the current condition, assessing rates during the pandemic. Results indicated that student…
A dyadic perspective on aggressive behavior between friends
Youth are sometimes victimized by their friends, but we know little about the nature of these relationships. Taking a dyadic approach, we studied relationships characterized by both friendship and aggression. Participants (952 middle schoolers; 50% female; 44% Latinx) nominated friends and aggressive perpetrators and victims. Using two analytic samples of friend dyads ( N = 6971) and aggressive dyads ( N = 4662), results indicated that aggression…
A Longitudinal Analysis of Peer Victimization, Self-Esteem, and Rejection Sensitivity in Mental Health and Substance Use Among Adolescents
Trauma-informed and relational approaches to service provision: Building community-based project capacity to respond to interpersonal violence through a national initiative
Results indicate that, through training, implementation, and evaluation of an interpersonal violence intervention, service providers in community-based projects were able to extend trauma-informed and relational principles not only to the intervention itself, but also to their own work, as well as that of their organizations and communities. With some additional support, leveraging the existing capacities within community-based projects may be an…
The Mediational Effect of Affect Dysregulation on the Association Between Attachment to Parents and Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents
Developing and testing a readiness tool for interpersonal violence prevention partnerships with community‐based projects
Community‐based projects that serve vulnerable families have the opportunity to identify and respond to interpersonal violence (IPV). We developed a readiness assessment tool to support selection of projects to participate in an initiative that involved implementing a community‐based IPV intervention for mothers. The overarching aim of the current study was to describe the development of this tool and examine the reliability of coding, validity, …
Knowledge mobilization: Stepping into interdependent and relational space using co-creation
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using co-creation approaches, with academics and partners working together to create research and interventions to achieve impact. Action research typically starts with the question ‘how can we improve this situation?’ and then co-creates knowledge with and not on or for people. This approach contrasts with conventional approaches in which academics create knowledge and then disseminate it to …
Research and Evaluation With Community-Based Projects: Approaches, Considerations, and Strategies
Researcher–community partnerships are a necessary but not sufficient facet of effective research and evaluation with community-based projects and in clinical settings. This article describes two approaches that we have integrated into a multiyear, multiphase research and evaluation initiative supporting the health and well-being of vulnerable families. Specifically, we adopted a relational approach, intentionally and consistently focusing on buil…
Substance Use in Pregnancy Among Vulnerable Women Seeking Addiction and Parenting Support
Laying the Groundwork: A Practical Guide for Ethical Research with Indigenous Communities
Although there are numerous ethical guidelines for research with Indigenous communities, not all research is conducted in an ethical, culturally respectful, and effective way. To address this gap, we review four ethical frameworks for research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Drawing upon our experiences conducting a transformative social justice research project in five Indigenous communities, we discuss the ethical tensions we have encountere…
Adolescents show positive changes in distress and hope after single session, post-based, anonymous counselling at kids help phone
Breaking the Cycle’ of maternal substance use through relationships: A comparison of integrated approaches
Background: To compare a novel relationship-focused intervention (RFI) for maternal substance use, offered through ‘Breaking the Cycle (BTC)’, to standard integrated treatment (SIT). Although SIT focuses on the mother–child relationship tangentially by providing basic parenting information, RFI involves a central focus on promoting healthy maternal relationships with a particular emphasis on fostering mother–child interactions.Method: Measures in…
The contribution of social support to children and adolescents' self-perception: The mediating role of bullying victimization
Predictors of early versus late match relationship beginnings in Big Brothers Big Sisters community programs
Readiness for Treatment: Does It Matter for Women with Substance Use Problems Who Are Parenting
This study examined changes in outcomes for women in an outpatient, integrated substance use and parenting program in Toronto, Canada, and tested whether their self-reported treatment readiness at intake predicted changes in substance use and parenting outcomes from intake to 12 months after intake. Although there were improvements in both substance use and parenting outcomes, self-reported treatment readiness only predicted changes in parenting …
When They Call, Will They Come? A Contextually Responsive Approach for Engaging Multistressed Families in an Urban Child Mental Health Center: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Objective: This study examines the effect of an ecological and contextually responsive approach, during initial intake call, on engagement for multistressed families seeking child mental health services in an urban setting. Methods: Using a randomized design, parents were allocated to phone Intake As Usual (IAU) or Enhanced Engagement Phone Intake (EEPI). IAU consisted of a lengthy mandated standardized phone intake interview. EEPI, wrapped aroun…
Evaluation of a Youth-Led Program for Preventing Bullying, Sexual Harassment, and Dating Aggression in Middle Schools
Although youth-led programs (YLP) have been successful in many areas of public health, youth leadership is rarely used in the prevention of peer aggression. A YLP to reduce bullying, sexual harassment, and dating aggression was compared experimentally with the board-mandated usual practice (UP). Four middle schools in an urban Canadian school division were randomly assigned to a YLP or to UP programs led by adults. Knowledge, attitudes, victimiza…
Multimodal Assessment of the Mother–child Relationship in a Substance‐exposed Sample: Divergent Associations With the Emotional Availability Scales
The aim of this study was to compare ratings of mother – child relationship quality from diverse assessment perspectives. The quality of the mother – child relationship was rated in a sample of 34 mothers with substance‐use difficulties and their children using the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS; Z. Biringen, ), based on videotaped observation of a 20‐min, free‐play session. These ratings were compared to clinician ratings on the Parent–Infan…
Use of the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood: Revised Edition (DC:0–3R) with Canadian Infants and Young Children Prenatally Exposed …
The current study examined the mental health diagnostic profiles of infants and young children prenatally exposed to substances using the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, Revised (DC:0–3R) diagnostic system. Participants were 46 biological mother–infant dyads who were engaged in a clinical program for mothers with substance‐use problems and their young children (aged 10–41 mont…
Naturalistic Observations of Peer Interventions in Bullying
This study examined peer intervention in bullying using naturalistic observations on school playgrounds. The sample comprised 58 children (37 boys and 21 girls) in Grades 1 to 6 who were observed to intervene in bullying. Peers were present during 88% of bullying episodes and intervened in 19%. In 47% of the episodes, peers intervened aggressively. Interventions directed toward the bully were more likely to be aggressive, whereas interventions di…
Mixed‐Gender Groups, Dating, and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence
This study examined dating‐stage and developmental‐contextual models of romantic relationships during early adolescence. Same‐gender friendships, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups, dating, and romantic relationships were investigated in a sample of 1,284 young adolescents of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. Data were collected cross‐sectionally in Grades 5 through 8, as well as longitudinally in the fall and spring of an academic year. Consi…
Peer Victimization, Social Support, and Psychosocial Adjustment of Sexual Minority Adolescents
A peek behind the fence: Naturalistic observations of aggressive children with remote audiovisual recording
This article describes a methodology that is uniquely suited to study peer interactions, particularly those of aggressive children. To date, researchers have used laboratory and naturalistic observations to investigate children's aggressive interactions. To overcome difficulties such as the constraints of laboratory situations and reactivity to proximal observations, video cameras and wireless micro-phones were used in a study of the peer relatio…
A developmental perspective on bullying
In this paper, we examined the forms and relationship contexts of bullying in adolescence. Using cross‐sectional data, we assessed grade and sex differences in self‐reports of bullying and sexually harassing peers, as well as reports of dating aggression from1896 students from early to late adolescence. Reports of bullying others were highest around the school transition, with lowest levels at the end of high school. Boys reported more bullying a…
Emotional Regulation and Display in Classroom Victims of Bullying: Characteristic Expressions of Affect, Coping Styles and Relevant Contextual Factors
Research suggests that victims of bullying may lack skills in emotional regulation, a process which facilitates coping with provocative situations to lessen the stress of negative emotions (Cicchetti, Ackerman, & Izard, 1995). The present study examined the emotional regulation and display patterns of victims during classroom bullying episodes. Children in grades one through six were observed during free play in the winter and spring of three con…
The missing voice: Parents' perspectives of bullying
Conceptions of Cross-Sex Friendships and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence
Behavior Problems in Children Exposed to Wife Abuse: Gender Differences
Adolescents Online: The Importance of Internet Activity Choices to Salient Relationships
Evaluation of a Youth-Led Program for Preventing Bullying, Sexual Harassment, and Dating Aggression in Middle Schools
Although youth-led programs (YLP) have been successful in many areas of public health, youth leadership is rarely used in the prevention of peer aggression. A YLP to reduce bullying, sexual harassment, and dating aggression was compared experimentally with the board-mandated usual practice (UP). Four middle schools in an urban Canadian school division were randomly assigned to a YLP or to UP programs led by adults. Knowledge, attitudes, victimiza…
Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Disordered Eating During Early Adolescence
Risk and protective factors associated with disordered eating were examined among 363 girls (X age =12.9 years) in middle-level school. The variables included self-report ratings of competence and of the importance of physical appearance and social acceptance by peers, self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, negative events, and parental support. In a multivariate regression analysis, low competence in physical appearance, high impor…
School bullying before and during Covid‐19: Results from a population‐based randomized design
We examined the impact of COVID‐19 on bullying prevalence rates in a sample of 6578 Canadian students in Grades 4 to 12. To account for school changes associated with the pandemic, students were randomized at the school level into two conditions: (1) the pre‐COVID‐19 condition, assessing bullying prevalence rates retrospectively before the pandemic, and (2) the current condition, assessing rates during the pandemic. Results indicated that student…
Biological, Familial, and Peer Influences on Dating in Early Adolescence
Wounding Words: Maternal Verbal Aggression and Children's Adjustment
The contribution of social support to children and adolescents' self-perception: The mediating role of bullying victimization
Knowledge mobilization: Stepping into interdependent and relational space using co-creation
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using co-creation approaches, with academics and partners working together to create research and interventions to achieve impact. Action research typically starts with the question ‘how can we improve this situation?’ and then co-creates knowledge with and not on or for people. This approach contrasts with conventional approaches in which academics create knowledge and then disseminate it to …
Predictors of early versus late match relationship beginnings in Big Brothers Big Sisters community programs
The Relationship Between Adolescents' Experience of Family Violence and Dating Violence
This study examines whether experiences of familial victimization and aggression are potential risk factors for dating violence in male and female teenage relationships. The authors compare 471 adolescents aged 12 to 19 in the care of a youth protection agency and from a community sample. Results show that adolescents carry negative childhood experiences of family violence into their intimate relationships in different ways, depending on gender a…
A dyadic perspective on aggressive behavior between friends
Youth are sometimes victimized by their friends, but we know little about the nature of these relationships. Taking a dyadic approach, we studied relationships characterized by both friendship and aggression. Participants (952 middle schoolers; 50% female; 44% Latinx) nominated friends and aggressive perpetrators and victims. Using two analytic samples of friend dyads ( N = 6971) and aggressive dyads ( N = 4662), results indicated that aggression…
Research and Evaluation With Community-Based Projects: Approaches, Considerations, and Strategies
Researcher–community partnerships are a necessary but not sufficient facet of effective research and evaluation with community-based projects and in clinical settings. This article describes two approaches that we have integrated into a multiyear, multiphase research and evaluation initiative supporting the health and well-being of vulnerable families. Specifically, we adopted a relational approach, intentionally and consistently focusing on buil…
Multimodal Assessment of the Mother–child Relationship in a Substance‐exposed Sample: Divergent Associations With the Emotional Availability Scales
The aim of this study was to compare ratings of mother – child relationship quality from diverse assessment perspectives. The quality of the mother – child relationship was rated in a sample of 34 mothers with substance‐use difficulties and their children using the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS; Z. Biringen, ), based on videotaped observation of a 20‐min, free‐play session. These ratings were compared to clinician ratings on the Parent–Infan…
Use of the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood: Revised Edition (DC:0–3R) with Canadian Infants and Young Children Prenatally Exposed …
The current study examined the mental health diagnostic profiles of infants and young children prenatally exposed to substances using the Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood, Revised (DC:0–3R) diagnostic system. Participants were 46 biological mother–infant dyads who were engaged in a clinical program for mothers with substance‐use problems and their young children (aged 10–41 mont…
The study of children's play: Some suggested future directions
A summary of the literature concerning those individual differences, and situational and developmental variables that influence play research
Conditional statements in young children's spontaneous speech
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Psychosocial Considerations in the Mental Health of Immigrant and Refugee Children
Recent empirical research with immigrant and refugee children is reviewed to identify issues related to the adaptive experiences of these populations. While all migrating children experience stresses associated with change and their adjustment to a new country, the expectation that these stresses invariably lead to higher rates of emotional problems and maladaptive behaviours cannot be supported. Instead, research indicates that a variety of adap…
A peek behind the fence: Naturalistic observations of aggressive children with remote audiovisual recording
This article describes a methodology that is uniquely suited to study peer interactions, particularly those of aggressive children. To date, researchers have used laboratory and naturalistic observations to investigate children's aggressive interactions. To overcome difficulties such as the constraints of laboratory situations and reactivity to proximal observations, video cameras and wireless micro-phones were used in a study of the peer relatio…
Observations of Bullying in the Classroom
The prevalence and nature of bullying was assessed on the basis of observations of children's interactions in the classroom. This study was based on a systemic-developmental model of bullying and victimization. Participants were drawn from 1 public school in metropolitan Toronto. Twenty-seven children (19 boys, 8 girls) identified by teachers as aggressive and nonaggressive were targeted for filming. The 27 children were identified from the total…
Observations of Bullying and Victimization in the School Yard
The purpose of this research was to describe bullying on the playground The subjects were children observed either bullying or being victimized on the playground. Bullying episodes were identified with 90% inter-rater agreement. Bullying occurred regularly on the playground, approximately once every seven minutes and was of short duration, 38 seconds. The majority of bullying episodes (68%) occurred within 120 feet of the school building. Adults …
Peer involvement in bullying: Insights and challenges for intervention
Behavior Problems in Children Exposed to Wife Abuse: Gender Differences
Conceptions of Cross-Sex Friendships and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence
Dating Experiences of Bullies in Early Adolescence
In this study, 196 young adolescents who reported that they bullied their peers were identified out of a sample of 1,758 students in Grades 5 through 8. After selecting from the total sample a group of nonbullying youth who were matched on gender, school, and grade, a comparison was made of the groups' dating experiences, quality of friend and boyfriend or girlfriend relationships, and acts of physical and social aggression. The results indicated…
Observations of Bullying in the Playground and in the Classroom
The present study employed naturalistic observations to compare bullying and victimization in the playground and in the classroom. The results indicated that there were more opportunities to observe aggression and receive and initiate aggression in the playground than in the classroom. The frequency of bullying was higher in the playground (4.5 episodes per hour) than in the classroom (2.4 episodes per hour). The nature of bullying reflected the …
Emotional Regulation and Display in Classroom Victims of Bullying: Characteristic Expressions of Affect, Coping Styles and Relevant Contextual Factors
Research suggests that victims of bullying may lack skills in emotional regulation, a process which facilitates coping with provocative situations to lessen the stress of negative emotions (Cicchetti, Ackerman, & Izard, 1995). The present study examined the emotional regulation and display patterns of victims during classroom bullying episodes. Children in grades one through six were observed during free play in the winter and spring of three con…
Naturalistic Observations of Peer Interventions in Bullying
This study examined peer intervention in bullying using naturalistic observations on school playgrounds. The sample comprised 58 children (37 boys and 21 girls) in Grades 1 to 6 who were observed to intervene in bullying. Peers were present during 88% of bullying episodes and intervened in 19%. In 47% of the episodes, peers intervened aggressively. Interventions directed toward the bully were more likely to be aggressive, whereas interventions di…
Observations of sibling interactions in violent families
This study examined sibling relationships of children from violent and non‐violent families. Participants included 20 children (10 dyads) who were shelter residents and their mothers and 40 children (20 dyads) from the community and their mothers. Mothers reported on children's behavior problems, sibling conflict resolution strategies, and the quality of the sibling relationship. Children reported on the quality of their sibling relationships. Si…
Observations of sibling interactions in violent families
This study examined sibling relationships of children from violent and non-violent families. Participants included 20 children (10 dyads) who were shelter residents and their mothers and 40 children (20 dyads) from the community and their mothers. Mothers reported on children's behavior problems, sibling conflict resolution strategies, and the quality of the sibling relationship. Children reported on the quality of their sibling relationships. Si…
Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Disordered Eating During Early Adolescence
Risk and protective factors associated with disordered eating were examined among 363 girls (X age =12.9 years) in middle-level school. The variables included self-report ratings of competence and of the importance of physical appearance and social acceptance by peers, self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism, negative events, and parental support. In a multivariate regression analysis, low competence in physical appearance, high impor…
Mixed‐Gender Groups, Dating, and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence
This study examined dating‐stage and developmental‐contextual models of romantic relationships during early adolescence. Same‐gender friendships, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups, dating, and romantic relationships were investigated in a sample of 1,284 young adolescents of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. Data were collected cross‐sectionally in Grades 5 through 8, as well as longitudinally in the fall and spring of an academic year. Consi…
Lifting the Veil of Silence on Girls' Aggression
Peer Victimization, Social Support, and Psychosocial Adjustment of Sexual Minority Adolescents
Wounding Words: Maternal Verbal Aggression and Children's Adjustment
A developmental perspective on bullying
In this paper, we examined the forms and relationship contexts of bullying in adolescence. Using cross‐sectional data, we assessed grade and sex differences in self‐reports of bullying and sexually harassing peers, as well as reports of dating aggression from1896 students from early to late adolescence. Reports of bullying others were highest around the school transition, with lowest levels at the end of high school. Boys reported more bullying a…
Biological, Familial, and Peer Influences on Dating in Early Adolescence
Developmental Trajectories of Bullying and Associated Factors
Trajectories in bullying through adolescence were studied along with individual, family, and peer relationship factors. At the outset, participants’ ages ranged from 10 to 14; 74% identified as European Canadian with the remainder from diverse backgrounds. With 8 waves of data over 7 years, 871 students (466 girls and 405 boys) were studied to reveal 4 trajectories: 9.9% reported consistently high levels of bullying, 13.4% reported early moderate…
Adolescents Online: The Importance of Internet Activity Choices to Salient Relationships
Contents, Vol. 25, 1982
Psychology (51 works) · Developmental psychology (41 works) · Medicine (29 works) · Clinical Psychology (23 works) · Poison control (21 works) · Psychiatry (21 works) · Social Psychology (21 works) · Suicide prevention (19 works) · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression (18 works) · Clinical Psychology (16 works)