Group Contingencies to Increase School and Project Attendance in At-Risk Adolescents: A Pilot Study

The current study employed a group contingency in order to increase school and project attendance in a group of 10 at-risk male adolescents. The participants were already attending a youth diversion project designed to reduce criminal and antisocial behaviors. The group contingency was based on the fantasy football model (an interactive, virtual competition in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play). Each participant was captain of their team which was comprised of 4 other participants, hand chosen by them. The teams gained points for meeting certain behavioral targets and lost points for engaging in targeted behaviors. Overall, a significant increase in school and project attendance was noted from baseline to intervention. This pilot study indicates that group contingencies may prove useful in targeting behavior change in adolescent populations.