Established Evidence Results

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Reporting & Response System

Intervention Description: This study is an evaluation of a systemic, two-year, whole-school bullying intervention initiative that was implemented in a US public high school.

Intervention Results: Except for a reduction in victimization, all goals were achieved in some measure. Self-reported bullying decreased 50% or more. Students' reporting that peers intervened in bullying increased. Staff-reported reductions in student aggression, and staff's belief that the school's efforts to address bullying were adequate increased.

Conclusion: This evaluation points to the possible success of a whole-school, systemic approach to managing bullying at the high school level. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Victimization: Pretest (n=874); Posttest (n=817) Perpetration: Pretest (n=870); Posttest (n=818)

Age Range: 14-18

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), CLASSROOM, Adult-led Curricular Activities/Training, Enforcement of School Rules, SCHOOL, Assembly, Reporting & Response System, Bullying Committee, Teacher/Staff Meeting, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, Identification and Monitoring of/Increased Supervision in Targeted Areas, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Radio, TV)

Intervention Description: To examine the effectiveness of a widely disseminated bullying prevention program.

Intervention Results: Regression analyses controlling for baseline prevalence and school characteristics showed no overall effect on student victimization. However, when stratified by ethnicity/race, reports of relational and physical victimization decreased by 28% (RR = .72, 95% CI: .53-.98) and 37% (RR = .63, 95% CI: .42-.97), respectively, among white students relative to those in comparison schools. No similar effect was found for students of other races/ethnicities; there were no differences by gender or by grade. Students in intervention schools were more likely to perceive other students as actively intervening in bullying incidents, and 6th graders were more likely to feel sorry and want to help victims.

Conclusion: The program had some mixed positive effects varying by gender, ethnicity/race, and grade but no overall effect. Schools implementing the program, especially with a heterogeneous student body, should monitor outcomes and pay particular attention to the impact of culture, race and family influences on student behavior. Future studies of large-scale bullying prevention programs in the community must be rigorously evaluated to ensure they are effective.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Intervention (n=4959) Relational Victimization: Pretest (n=4607); Posttest (n=4480) Physical Victimization: Pretest (n=4531); Posttest (n=4419) Control (n=1559) Relational Victimization: Pretest (n=1408); Posttest (n=1456) Physical Victimization: Pretest (n=1373); Posttest (n=1448)

Age Range: NR

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, PARENT/FAMILY, Notification/Information Materials (Online Resources, Information Guide), Presentation/Meeting/Information Session/Event, CLASSROOM, Enforcement of School Rules, SCHOOL, Bullying Committee, Assembly, Reporting & Response System, Teacher/Staff Meeting, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, Identification and Monitoring of/Increased Supervision in Targeted Areas, POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Radio, TV)

Intervention Description: This intervention study examined the prevalence of bullying in an urban/suburban middle school and the impact of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP).

Intervention Results: Statistically significant findings were found for 7th grade female students who received 1 year of the OBPP on reports of prevalence of bullying (p = .022) and exclusion by peers (p = .009). In contrast, variability in statistical findings was obtained for 8th grade females and no statistical findings were found for males. Following 1 year of the OBPP, teachers reported statistically significant improvements in their capacity to identify bullying (p = .016), talk to students who bully (p = .024), and talk with students who are bullied (p = .051). Other substantial percentile changes were also noted.

Conclusion: Findings suggest a significant positive impact of the OBPP on 7th grade females and teachers. Other grade and gender findings were inconsistent with previous literature. Recommendations for further research are provided along with implications for school health prevention programming.

Study Design: QE: time-lagged age-equivalent control group

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Intervention (n=112); Control (n=158)

Age Range: NR

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, SCHOOL, Assembly, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media)

Intervention Description: This study examines the impact of a peer support service as an intervention to counteract bullying in a school with a serious problem. The impact of the intervention was assessed by a survey and by qualitative interviews with staff, peer supporters, users and potential users of the service.

Intervention Results: The survey indicated that the intervention had no overall effect on levels of bullying in the school as a whole or on the likelihood that peers would intervene to help. However, the interviews indicated that peer helpers and some victims were helped by the initiative, and some potential users of the service perceived it in a positive light.

Conclusion: Some explanations of the findings and implications for implementation of such interventions are discussed.

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, CLASSROOM, Presentation/meeting/information Session (Classroom), SCHOOL, Assembly, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media), POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Event, Outreach

Intervention Description: An investigation of whether and to what extent a peer-led model is able to counteract mechanisms underlying bullying in peer groups, seeking clarification of divergence in reported results on the efficacy of peer-led models.

Intervention Results: Two studies were carried out in Italy within a project tackling bullying and cyberbullying in secondary schools. In the first study (n= 386), concerning the first phase of the project, a significant decrease was found only for cyberbullying, most of all for male peer educators. For the second study (n= 375) the model was improved and significant effects were found for several participating groups (peer educators and the experimental classes), who exhibited a decrease in bullying, victimization, and cybervictimization.

Conclusion: Results suggest that peer educators can act as agents of change in the broader context.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group

Setting: Italy

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Study 1: Intervention 1 (n=126); Intervention 2 (n=63); Control (n=47) Study 2: Intervention (n=231); Control (n=144)

Age Range: 14-20

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, CLASSROOM, Presentation/meeting/information Session (Classroom), Peer-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media), POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Event, Presentation

Intervention Description: The NoTrap! (Noncadiamointrappola!) program is a school-based intervention, which utilizes a peer-led approach to prevent and combat both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of the third Edition of the program in accordance with the recent criteria for evidence-based interventions.

Intervention Results: Towards this aim, two quasi-experimental trials involving adolescents (age M = 14.91, SD = .98) attending their first year at different high schools were conducted. In Trial 1 (control group, n = 171; experimental group, n = 451), latent growth curve models for data from pre-, middle- and post-tests showed that intervention significantly predicted change over time in all the target variables (victimization, bullying, cybervictimization, and cyberbullying). Specifically, target variables were stable for the control group but decreased significantly over time for the experimental group. Long-term effects at the follow up 6 months later were also found. In Trial 2 (control group, n = 227; experimental group, n = 234), the moderating effect of gender was examined and there was a reported decrease in bullying and cyberbullying over time (pre- and post-test) in the experimental group but not the control group, and this decrease was similar for boys and girls.

Conclusion: The significant improvement in target variables in trials of the third edition, compared to the non-significant improvements found for the first and second editions, suggests that the new/modified components may have improved the efficacy of the program.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group

Setting: Italy

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Total (n=375) Intervention (n=231); Control (n=144)

Age Range: 14-18

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, CLASSROOM, Presentation/meeting/information Session (Classroom), SCHOOL, Assembly, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media), POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Event, Presentation

Intervention Description: The aim of the present study is to describe and evaluate an ongoing peer-led model against bullying and cyberbullying carried out with Italian adolescents.

Intervention Results: Results showed a significant decrease in the experimental group as compared to the control group for all the variables except for cyberbullying. Besides, in the experimental group we found a significant increase in adaptive coping strategies like problem solving and a significant decrease in maladaptive coping strategies like avoidance: these changes mediate the changes in the behavioural variables. In particular, the decrease in avoidance predicts the decrease in victimization and cybervictimization for peer educators and for the other students in the experimental classes whereas the increase in problem solving predicts the decrease in cyberbullying only in the peer educators group.

Conclusion: Results are discussed following recent reviews on evidence based efficacy of peer led models.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest non-equivalent control group

Setting: Italy

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Trial 1: Intervention (n=451); Control (n=171) Trial 2: Intervention (n=234); Control (n=227)

Age Range: Mean: ~16.23

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): YOUTH, Adult-led Support/Counseling/Remediation, Peer-led Mentoring/Support Counseling, CLASSROOM, Peer-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Reporting & Response System, Teacher/Staff Training, School Rules, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media)

Intervention Description: To counter bullying at an Australian coeducational secondary school, staff and students co-operated in developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures.

Intervention Results: Questionnaires assessing the incidence of bullying and related attitudes were completed by students in Years 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 1995 and again in 1997. Significant reductions in levels of victimization were recorded for Year 7 students only. Significantly increased support for anti-bullying initiatives was found among senior students (Years 10 and 11)

Conclusion: Anti-bullying activities directed and undertaken by students themselves received most approval from peers.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Australia

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: NR (The school has a total of ~1200 students; 4 of the 5 grades included in the study)

Age Range: NR

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): CLASSROOM, Peer-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media)

Intervention Description: Effects of a peer-led intervention campaign against school bullying, carried out by eight peer counsellors, were studied in an upper-level comprehensive school in southern Finland.

Intervention Results: The results showed that the campaign was especially effective among girls. This was most clearly shown by decreases in both self- and peer-reported bullying, as well as an increase in 'power attitudes', i.e. attitude items reflecting the students' self-perceived potential and willingness to influence bullying problems in their class. Among boys, on the other hand, there was a slight decrease in self-reported bullying, not confirmed by peer reports and, unfortunately, there was an increase in pro-bullying attitudes, such as 'bullying might be fun sometimes'. Evaluating the campaign, girls also perceived it as more beneficial and more effective than boys did.

Conclusion: Most students who reported being bullied before the intervention were satisfied with the campaign and thought it was helpful.

Study Design: QE: pretest-posttest

Setting: Finland

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Total (n=196) Analysis (n=144)

Age Range: ~13-15

Intervention Components (click on component to see a list of all articles that use that intervention): CLASSROOM, Peer-led Curricular Activities/Training, SCHOOL, Assembly, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Public Address System, Social Media), POPULATION-BASED SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY, Training, Event, Media Campaign (Print Materials, Radio, TV), Distribution of Promotional Items (Classroom/School), Distribution of Promotional Items (Community)

Intervention Description: In a community randomized controlled trial, intervention middle school students from small towns were exposed to a community and school-based anti-violence intervention ("Resolve It, Solve It").

Intervention Results: Students in the intervention group reported a significantly higher rate of decline in verbal victimization compared to control students. The difference was only significant among males. For physical victimization, the decline in the intervention group compared to the control group was in the expected direction but did not reach statistical significance (p=0.069). This near significant difference was accounted for by males.

Conclusion: These results suggest that a media and reinforcing community intervention led by older peers can alter rates of growth for some measures of violence and associated factors among small-town youth. Further research is indicated to determine how different campaign messages influence students by sex.

Study Design: Cluster RCT: pretest-posttest

Setting: US

Population of Focus: Not specified

Data Source: Not specified

Sample Size: Total (n=1492) Intervention (n=712); Control (n=780)

Age Range: NR