Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: a systematic and meta-analytic review

Abstract

This article presents a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs in schools. Studies were included if they evaluated the effects of an anti-bullying program by comparing an intervention group who received the program with a control group who did not. Four types of research design were included: a) randomized experiments, b) intervention-control comparisons with before-and-after measures of bullying, c) other interventioncontrol comparisons, and d) age-cohort designs. Both published and unpublished reports were included. All volumes of 35 journals from 1983 up to the end of May 2009 were hand-searched, as were 18 electronic databases. Reports in languages other than English were also included. A total of 622 reports concerned with bullying prevention were found, and 89 of these reports (describing 53 different program evaluations) were included in our review. Of the 53 different program evaluations, 44 provided data that permitted the calculation of an effect size for bullying or victimization. The meta-analysis of these 44 evaluations showed that, overall, school-based anti-bullying programs are effective: on average, bullying decreased by 20-23% and victimization decreased by 17-20%. Program elements and intervention components that were associated with a decrease in bullying and victimization were identified, based on feedback from researchers about the coding of 40 out of 44 programs. More intensive programs were more effective, as were programs including parent meetings, firm disciplinary methods, and improved playground supervision. Work with peers was associated with an increase in victimization. It is concluded that the time is ripe to mount a new program of research on the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs based on these findings.

Personal and familial predictors of peer victimization trajectories from primary to secondary school.

“…Even more important, however, seems to be parents' role in teaching their offspring to regulate their negative emotions and to solve conflicts in a constructive and peaceful manner in order to avoid chronic peer relation difficulties. Together, the present results thus support the notion that parent training as well child-focused activities in current school-based prevention programs are key features for decreasing peer victimization over the long term (Ttofi & Farrington, 2011). Note.…”

Emotions of students involved in cases of bullying

“…[24][25][26][27] Most acts of aggression practiced in the school context under investigation were verbal, which suggests an apparent contradiction with the data related to sex, as boys are expected to engage more in physical attacks, while girls are expected to practice more verbal aggressions. 28 Nevertheless, this information may be interpreted in line with the proposals put forward in another Brazilian study 5 , which identified a prevalence of verbal aggressions independently from the aggressors' sex, as the school authorities generally interpret these as less serious and, therefore, less subject to severe punishment.…”

“…These studies also signal that measures to prevent, cope with and control bullying in the school contexts need to be taken, considering its personal and contextual (micro and macro) determinants, through the convergence of intersectoral efforts, with a view to addressing the problem at the complexity level it presents. 3,5,15,24 The investigated students' age, for victims as well as for aggressors, was concentrated around the age of 13-14 years, going against the consensus found in the literature which admits the existence of peaks of vulnerability to bullying at moments of transition in teaching. In the Brazilian reality, these correspond to the sixth year of basic education and the first year of secondary education, when students generally are 11 and 15 years old, respectively.…”

“…This tool was elaborated based on scientific evidence and other questionnaire, constructed to investigate emotions associated with bullying in the school context. [22][23][24] After its elaboration, the questionnaire was submitted to three experts in school violence for assessment, who performed the structural and content analysis. In addition, the researchers tested the appropriateness of the questions to the understanding of the target public (adolescents) through a pretest in a group of three students (about 10% of the sample, n=23), who were also students in basic education.…”

Cyberbullying victimization and its association with health across the life course: A Canadian population study

“…Recommended are multicomponent schoolwide programs based on the SocialEcological Diathesis-Stress Model, 17 which emphasizes the dynamic and fluid nature of bullying across the individual, family, peer group, school and community contexts. [30][31][32] For instance, the Cyber Friendly Schools Program 33,34 is an online whole-school cyberbullying prevention and intervention program built on a social-ecological approach; it reported a significant decline in CV perpetration at one year in a group randomized controlled trial. 35 From a legal perspective, in Canada, cyberbullying can be addressed under civil law or criminal law.…”