Abstract
Background: Several challenges and emotional demands characterize adolescence, affecting the mental well-being of youths. Among these, bullying and cyberbullying are recognized nowadays as a major social problem, affecting more than one-third of adolescents, with extensive negative consequences for the victims involved, such as lower self-esteem, increased loneliness, depression, and anxiety. School programs and interventions that foster resilience, coping, and well-being are particularly important during adolescence as protective and preventive factors against the consequences of (cyber)bullying. The paper presents two recent co-designed interventions for (cyber)bullying prevention deployed in Europe, targeting early adolescents and their school communities. Methods: The UPRIGHT project developed an evidence-based, whole-school intervention to train resilience as a protective factor to promote mental well-being in adolescents, in a cross-national perspective. The CREEP project designed and implemented digital interventions to support schools in (i) early detection of cyberbullying events on social media and (ii) coaching adolescents (victims, bullies, bystanders) on how to cope with (cyber)bullying behaviors. Results: The main challenges and insights collected during the design and implementation of both interventions are discussed to inform future research and practice. Conclusion: The feasibility and acceptance of prevention programs are key to the reducing risk of (cyber)bullying and improving the psychological well-being of early adolescents.
Highlights
Adolescence is characterized by several physical, socio-emotional challenges, affecting the mental well-being of youngsters
This paper presents the main insights and challenges faced during the design and implementation of two recent European projects: (i) the Horizon 2020 (H2020) UPRIGHT
One challenge they reported in implementing the project was that they felt they lacked expertise in mental health topics, something that can be relevant to the proper deployment of cyberbullying prevention projects [30], and they asked for professional support in delivering training on more technical skills
Summary
Adolescence is characterized by several physical, socio-emotional challenges, affecting the mental well-being of youngsters. Bullying and cyberbullying behaviors represent nowadays a major social problem, affecting 37% of adolescents [1,2], with considerable negative consequences for the victims involved. Adolescent victims of traditional bullying and cyberbullying have a higher susceptibility to somatic (e.g., flu), psychosomatic (e.g., sleeping disorders), and psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression) disorders [9,10,11]. They are more likely to have a higher risk of self-harm and suicide, poorer internalization skills, poor academic achievement, and school absenteeism [12,13]
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