Bullying Prevention Research Articles

Підготовка майбутніх учителів початкової школи до профілактики проявів булінгу серед школярів

The article reveals the main aspects of preparing future primary school teachers for the prevention of bullying among schoolchildren. The content of psychological and physical forms of bullying in an educational institution is determined, the mechanisms of manifestation of signs of violence in the educational process according to D. Olveus are characterized; the indicators of the readiness of future teachers to prevent bullying in the educational space of an elementary school are determined, the role structure of bullying is revealed. The directions of the formation of competencies in the course of preparing future primary school teachers for the prevention of bullying are characterized: formation of competencies for involving junior schoolchildren in information campaigns of educational institutions, psychological and pedagogical trainings and individual programs for prevention of bullying; formation of competencies for conducting interactive forms of learning, which will provide an opportunity to develop skills and abilities of effective dialogic interaction with all participants in the educational process; formation of competencies to involve parents in trainings-seminars, thematic conversations, psychological and pedagogical games that will increase pedagogical awareness, literacy of all participants in the educational process in aspects of anti-bullying education of children. Thus, the generalization of scientific positions on the process of violence and bullying makes it possible to define it as a long-term and systematic aggression, which can take physical and psychological forms, make up a large part of the social life of primary school children.

ГУМАНІЗАЦІЯ ОСВІТНЬОЇ СФЕРИ У КРАЇНАХ ЄС

The article reviewe current issues in education in particular and in society in general, which are closely related and interdependent. It identifies the specific challenges that the European educational community has been trying to address over the last few years. These include the problem of bullying in educational institutions, early school leaving (drop out), possible social problems leading to bullying and early school leaving, and not a large percentage of young people completing school. Mechanisms and experience of solving these issues and challenges by different EU countries are revealed. The article provides specific examples of the manifestation of the trend of humanization in the educational sphere. Awareness of the subject by the teacher, the ability to recognize and master the techniques of intervention, but also a better conscious approach to the prevention of bullying should have a modern humanist teacher. The problem of early school leaving is still not raised by the Ukrainian society, relevant statistics are not available and this issue is not raised in acute scientific or state circles at the level of society and the state. The author sees the processes of humanization of education in such specific recommendations and experiences of EU countries as respect for students, participation of students and parents in decision-making of the educational institution, respect for the student's personality and his needs and interests in the learning process. All employees of the educational institution – teachers and staff, providing a comfortable and friendly environment of the educational institution.

ПСИХОЛОГІЧНЕ БЛАГОПОЛУЧЧЯ ДИТИНИ: ВІД МЕТОДОЛОГІЇ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ДО ПРИКЛАДНИХ ПРАКТИК

The theoretical analysis of modern research on the phenomenon of psychological well-being allows us to identify the essence and features of child's psychological well-being. It is shown that there are different approaches to its evaluation (analysis of individual determinants of well-being and contextual analysis), which reflect the evolution of approaches to studying the phenomenon of happiness and human well-being in historical and scientific contexts. An analysis of Ukrainian and foreign studies shows that psychological health is most often singled out as the main component of psychological well-being. There is a difference between the concepts of psychological health and mental one. In the legislative documents of Ukraine, these definitions began to be used more often as the purpose of the activities of institutions related to the child. There is a difference between ways of assessing the psychological well-being of preschool, primary school and adolescent children. Parents' assessments of young children are often irrelevant and cannot be an indicator of their child's psychological well-being. Alternatively, it is suggested to study the relationship of parents with the child as a factor of its well-being. Positive psychology had a great influence on the study of the child's psychological well-being, and the idea of the child's positive development as a result of constructive socialization and the process of individualization can become a reference point in building a child's well-being environment. It is proved that the analysis of the environment (theory of ecosystems) of the psychological well-being of the child is one of the promising areas of research and a popular applied practice. Foreign programs for the development of emotional and psychological well-being in schools are analyzed: SEL, Zippy's Friends, MindMatters, The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP).

Administrative and Legal Principles of the Activities of the National Police of Ukraine in Preventing and Counteracting Bullying

The negative socio-economic situation and large gaps in the moral and ethical education of the younger generation have led to an increase in the number of cases of deliberate abuse of older and stronger to the smaller and weaker members of educational institutions. The author has studied administrative and legal principles of the activity of the National Police of Ukraine on preventing and counteracting bullying. Based on a comprehensive analysis of national legislation on preventing and combating bullying in Ukraine, the author has determined perspective areas for improving administrative and legal principles in this area. It has been emphasized that the role of the National Police in this area cannot be limited to the preventive registration of a child. It is necessary to develop a set of preventive and educational measures aimed at preventing bullying manifestations among minors. It has been found out that there are no tools to assess the effectiveness of the impact of existing strategies to combat bullying in Ukraine, which necessitates further research in this area. It has been determined that it is necessary to fight not with individual facts of bullying, but to enshrine in the legislation the system of counteraction to harassment in educational institutions, which can be preventive in nature. It has been established that the legislator has introduced a number of amendments over the last few years, which are characterized by the strengthening of the component of protection of children’s rights. A positive novelty is that the main task of the juvenile police was preventive activity instead of punitive one. In general, the regulatory basis for the activities of the National Police of Ukraine to prevent and combat bullying can be divided into two parts: general legislative acts and departmental regulatory acts. It has been noted that the prevention of bullying and the prevention and combating of domestic violence are different aspects of the same problem, which are in constant close cooperation, and then the measures to overcome them should be common.

Социально-психологические аспекты профилактики школьного буллинга в условиях цифровой среды

The article is devoted to the analysis of overcoming the risks of digital socialization in the context of the ideas of adolescents and teachers about the phenomenon of bullying in the school environment. The relevance of addressing the topic is due to the need to develop a regional model for the prevention of bullying, which requires the study of deficits and resources in the professional position of teaching staff. The purpose of the article is to show the possibilities of professional reflection to reduce the contradiction between the significance of bullying problems for teenagers and the unpreparedness of pedagogical teams to effectively respond to this problem. The article contains the results of empirical studies – data from the annual socio-psychological testing of adolescents in the Saratov region (90,422 students), exploring problems that reduce the psychological stability of youth – aggressive manifestations in the teenage environment as well as an analysis of teachers’ ideas about the causes, participants and prevention of bullying and cyberbullying (125 people). The article focuses on actually available and desirable strategies for teachers to respond to aggression in the teenage environment. The conclusions indicate that the collective moderation of the problem allows us to identify the components of the school’s anti-bullying strategy, the study defines the need for including response skills in the bullying situation in continuing education programs for teachers.

Development and experimental validation of a dataset of 360°-videos for facilitating school-based bullying prevention programs

Virtual Reality (VR) is considered an effective way to boost empathy by adopting the perspective of others, thus having clear potential for improving anti-bullying programs. However, this potential benefit of VR is limited by both the lack of adequate content and the lack of empirical evidence of its effectiveness. In this article, we present the process of co-creation of a set of 360°-videos representing the experience of victims of bullying from a first-person perspective, involving secondary school students (N = 89). The impact of bullying content and VR presentation in terms of emotional response was later assessed in an experiment (N = 35) in which we collected both participants’ self-reported and psychophysiological measures of emotional state during the viewing. The results support the effectiveness of VR in producing realistic emotional responses to the acts of bullying, although differences between self-reported and psychophysiological measures were observed. Lessons learned, limitations, and implications for the use of VR for bullying prevention are discussed.

Hypotheses for Possible Iatrogenic Impacts of School Bullying Prevention Programs

AbstractCommensurate with the serious risks bullying poses to students’ mental health, substantial attention has been devoted to evaluating school bullying prevention programs. Research on the effectiveness of these interventions shows mixed outcomes. Recent evidence suggests that even programs that reduce overall bullying may have negative outcomes for victims. Most bullying prevention programs incorporate a range of strategies, but we know little about which strategies actively reduce bullying and whether some may have iatrogenic effects. Questions have been raised about programs that involve working with peer bystanders and whether some strategies stigmatize victims. In this article, I propose three theoretically derived hypotheses that describe mechanisms through which encouraging peers to actively defend victims may produce adverse outcomes for victims. More research is needed to test these hypotheses. A deeper understanding of the differential impact of bullying prevention strategies will lead to improvements in programs and more targeted use of effective strategies.

‘I was always made fun of for being fat’: first-hand accounts of bullying in children’s football

ABSTRACT Objetives To explore perceptions of bullying in children’s football (8-13 years) based on the experiences of players, families, and coaches. Method We conducted a multiple case study. Participants from four football clubs and one coaching academy in Catalonia (Spain) were selected to take part in nine focus group sessions (three for each group: players, families and coaches). Data from the sessions were analyzed by content analysis. Findings Four main categories were identified: (1) type of bullying, (2) causes, (3) sites of occurrence, and (4) feelings and emotions towards bullying. These have included a series of direct quotes to reflect the main contributions made by the three sets of participants (players, parents, and coaches) based on their most significant experiences. Conclusions The accounts of the participants show the existence of a wide range of bullying situations and experiences and highlight the need for immediate action towards the prevention and eradication of bullying in children’s football.

Effects and moderators of the Olweus bullying prevention program (OBPP) in Germany

Bullying is a common and significant risk factor for mental and physical health problems. The aim of the outlined study was to evaluate the German version of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) and to investigate potential moderators of its effectiveness. 23 schools started with the implementation and all students were invited to complete the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire annually. For our analyses, the data from grades 5 to 9 were used (t0: n = 5759; t1: n = 5416; t2: n = 4894). 16 out of the 23 schools completed the 18-months implementation period. The effectiveness of the program statistically depended on its complete implementation (χ2(2) = 7.62, p = 0.022). In the group of non-completers, the prevalence of victimization did not change during the observation period of 2 years (χ2(2) = 4.64, p = 0.099). In the group of the completer schools, a significant decrease in bullying between t0 and t1 was found for victims (t0: 9.14%; t1: 6.87%; OR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.62–0.88; p = 0.001) and perpetrators (t0: 6.16%; t1: 4.42%; OR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.55–0.89; p = 0.004). After 24 months (t2), this decrease could be retained (victims: t2: 6.83%; OR = 0.73; 95%CI = 0.61–0.88; p = 0.001; perpetrators: t2: 4.63%; OR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.57–0.92; p = 0.009). Furthermore, we found the following moderators of program effectiveness in the completer schools: (1) gender (with a stronger decrease among victimized girls; p = 0.004) and (2) school grade (with a stronger decrease of victimization among grades 5–7; p = 0.028). The German version of the OBPP significantly reduced the bullying prevalence in the completer schools. Effective prevention needs time and resources: fulfilling the 18-months implementation period was the basis for positive results.

An Analysis of Statewide Anti-bullying Laws Employing the Iowa Safe Schools Law as a Case Study

School bullying is a pervasive social problem that has been linked to severe mental health consequences for students. Though 50 states have adopted anti-bullying policies, research into the effectiveness of these policies has suggested that many such policies are not effective in reducing rates of bullying in schools. This paper aims to identify strategies for policy makers and social workers to reduce bullying in schools. This paper focuses on the Iowa Safe Schools Law as a case study for better understanding the strengths and limitations of statewide anti-bullying laws. Consistent with general evaluations of statewide anti-bullying laws, comparisons of rates of bullying before and after the passage of the Iowa Safe Schools Law reveal no reductions in rates of bullying. Through an examination of the extant academic and popular literature, this analysis identifies several critiques of the policy, namely that such policies infringe upon freedom of expression and that such policies focus on individual behavior modification rather than on changing underlying social norms that contribute to hostile environments. This paper presents several recommendations for advancing the prevention of bullying. Future research should identify underlying factors that render these policies ineffective and common factors of policies that have been found to be more effective. Bullying prevention policies should include funding allocated to these efforts and components that have been empirically linked to reductions in bullying. Social workers hold a key role in advocating for funding for this policy and offering institutional and individual-level interventions to reduce bullying.

Relations of self-esteem, obesity and peer bullying among middle school students in Turkey

Abstract Obesity, peer bullying and self-esteem are important public health problems in adolescent age group in Turkey as well as in the world. This study aims to investigate bilateral and tripartite relations of obesity, peer bullying and self-esteem. The universe of this cross-sectional study was middle school students in Ankara; 1955 student were reached in 42 schools determined by systematic sample method. Data was collected under observation with the questionnaire including anthropometric measurements (BMI-z-score), self-esteem scale and peer bullying. Written permission was given by the Ethical Committee at the University. We reached 1955 students (975 girls; 877 boys). The average of age was 12.84±0.59. The prevalence of overweight was 15.0% and obesity 7.2%. The percentage of low self-esteem was found as 45.4%. Frequencies of physical bullying-bully subgroup was 36.7%, verbal 51.4% and emotional 35.2%; the percentages of bullying-victim subgroups were found as 41.9%, 49.7% and 19.5%, respectively. A strong relationship was between obesity and physical bullying-victim without grouping for self-esteem (p = 0.03). Obesity was associated with low self-esteem without physical or emotional bullying (p = 0.02; p = 0.03). Low self-esteem was related with all types of bullying (p < 0.001 all subgroups). Obesity was associated with verbal bullying-bully in high self-esteem and without grouping for self-esteem (p = 0.04; p = 0.02). The relationship was between obesity and physical bullying-bully in the low and high self-esteem subgroups (p = 0.02; p = 0.009), but this relation couldn't be demonstrated without grouping for self-esteem. Prevention of peer bullying, fighting with obesity are important topics to protect adolescent mental health, improve school health. More effective studies should be conducted in this field, intervention programs have holistic approach should be developed at countries levels and global level. Key messages The holistic approach always highlighted from Sustainable Development Goals to Astana has a great importance in improving physical, mental and social health of adolescent in schools. Obesity, peer bullying and self-esteem are important issues affecting physical, social and mental health in adolescence in whole world.

Bullying in nursing: How has it changed over 4 decades?

This study sought to explore how bullying in the nursing profession in Australia has changed over four decades, and why it continues to persist. Bullying in nursing is recognized as a pervasive problem. While much attention has been given to demonstrating the existence and impact of bullying in the nursing profession, little is understood about the evolution of this phenomenon and factors that contribute to its persistence. This study employed an historical methodology using the testimony method of data collection. Testimonies were collected online and via interview from seventy registered nurses across Australia. Data were analysed using a three-dimensional analysis to produce a chronological historiography. This study found that the antecedents, manifestations, responses to and impacts of bullying in the nursing profession changed according to context and over time. The findings shed light on the role of nurse managers in the prevention and appropriate management of bullying in the workplace. Prevention and intervention approaches must be developed to combat the complex and changing factors that allow bullying to persist. This study shows the role that management plays in tackling the problem of bullying in nursing. It can no longer be acceptable for culture to be used as an excuse for unacceptable behaviour, nor for power to be abused to protect perpetrators of workplace bullying. The findings discussed in this paper reveal that inexperienced nurse managers are often ill-equipped to identify and manage bullying. Nurses in management positions must recognize and acknowledge this deficit if the problem of bullying is to be effectively tackled.

School Bullying: What Is Our Role?

Abstract Date Presented 03/28/20 The prevention of school bullying has been identified as an emerging area of practice for OT, yet there is a dearth of research on how the field is addressing this public-health epidemic. This study emphasizes the need for training, innovative interventions, and a defined role in order for OTs and assistants to be a part of the team in schools to help address bullying and create a safer environment to enable the participation of students with disabilities. Primary Author and Speaker: Janet Njelesani

Studying and prevention of bullying in the school environment: results of a mini research

Studying and prevention of bullying in the school environment: results of a mini research

The Free2B Multi-Media Bullying Prevention Experience: An Exemplar of Scientific Edutainment.

ObjectiveThe objective of the current article is to highlight an example of a new paradigm, Scientific Edutainment. The manuscript describes how educational researchers and technologists worked together to develop a multi-media bullying prevention experience, called Free2B for middle school students paying particular attention to ensure that the programming was not only relevant to all students but also was appealing and responsive to the needs of urban youth. Bullying is the most common form of aggression experienced among school-aged youth, which impairs students’ learning and social-emotional functioning and has financial costs to society. Given that the prevalence of bullying is highest in middle school, finding brief and feasible methods for motivating and sustaining change at this age is critically important, especially in the case of urban, under-resourced schools.MethodIn response to this challenge, multidisciplinary bullying prevention researchers collaborated with international technologists to develop the Free2B multi-media bullying prevention experience through an iterative Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. In addition, the research team conducted a series of pilot studies to iteratively develop and initially evaluate the multi-media program, helping to ensure relevance specifically for urban middle school youth.ResultsResults from the pilot studies indicated that the vast majority of middle school students found the Free2B multi-media bullying prevention experience to be enjoyable, relevant to their needs, and addressed important strategies to handle peer bullying and victimization. In addition, the brief prevention experience was associated with increases in problem-solving knowledge, prosocial attitudes about bullying, increased sympathy, and confidence in handling peer conflicts.ConclusionThe current paper illustrates the use of a new paradigm, termed Scientific Edutainment, as a way to combine evidenced-based developmental science with the latest in entertainment technology to provide innovative, engaging, and technologically-sophisticated educational programming.

Serious games to prevent and detect bullying and cyberbullying: A systematic serious games and literature review

Serious games are an effective and highly motivational educational tool that has proved to be capable of changing users’ attitudes and raising awareness in a great variety of fields, including mental health. A couple of decades ago, new technologies in general, and serious games, in particular, started to be incorporated into prevention programs, serving as both prevention and detection tools. This article presents a review of the serious games found through a systematic literature review focused on the use of video games as tools for the prevention and detection of bullying and cyberbullying. With this review, we aim to determine: (1) the benefits of using video games as tools against bullying; (2) the mechanics and types of games used to address it; (3) the type of users on which they focus; (4) the type of studies and the number of users with which these games are evaluated; and (5) the availability of these tools, to determine to what degree society can benefit from their potential. The results show a wide variety of video games, using in turn very different strategies to deal with (cyber)bullying; and also that most of these games are not currently available. The different initiatives found confirm that serious games can be used effectively to raise awareness, create empathy, and teach new strategies to address both bullying and cyberbullying.

Impact of a Brief, Bystander Bullying Prevention Program on Depressive Symptoms and Passive Suicidal Ideation: A Program Evaluation Model for School Personnel.

The purpose of this article is to present a study that can serve as a model of program evaluation for school personnel that can be used to improve services and demonstrate program efficacy to key stakeholders. The study presented in this article evaluated the impact of a brief, bystander bullying program ("stealing the show," "turning it over," "accompanying others," and "coaching compassion," [STAC]) on depressive symptoms and passive suicidal ideation among middle school students in a rural, low-income community (N = 130). This topic was selected as there is limited research examining the efficacy of bystander programs on improving mental health outcomes for students trained to intervene. Results of the study indicated students trained in the STAC program reported reductions in depressive symptoms and passive suicidal ideation at a 6-week follow-up compared with an increase in symptoms reported by students in the control group. We discuss these findings and the use of program evaluation by school personnel to support prevention programming.

Video-assisted nursing intervention: It's effectiveness on bullying prevention measures and procedures among primary school teachers

Background: Bullying commonly defined as an aggressive behavior that is intentional, repeated for a long time and involves an imbalance of power. It can have negative effects on children’s physical and psychological health and can even escalate to the tragedy of suicide. Aim: This study aimed to determine effectiveness of video-assisted nursing intervention on bullying prevention measures and procedures among primary school teachers.Methods: A quasi-experimental design with pre and post-test was used. Sample: Simple random sample of 100 primary school teacher was included. Settings: The study was carried out at four primary schools in Shebin-Elkom and menouf, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. Tools: Tool one: teachers’ self-administered structured interview questionnaire (a) Demographic data (b) Teachers knowledge regarding bullying. Tool two: bullying preventive measures likert scale.Results: The study showed that after video-assisted nursing intervention there was statistically significant improvement in the knowledge of primary school teachers' about bullying compared to before nursing intervention. Also, there was statistically significant improvement in teachers prevention practices regarding bullying after video-assisted nursing intervention compared to before nursing intervention. There was positive correlation between teachers’ total knowledge scores and total practices scores about bullying post intervention.Conclusions: Implementation of video-assisted nursing intervention achieved significant improvements in the primary school teachers’ knowledge and practices measures regarding bullying prevention. Recommendations: Prominently utilizing video-assisted nursing intervention strategy in teaching bullying to promote children's health and improve knowledge and practices of teachers.

Individual and Systemic Factors Related to Safety and Relationships in Schools as Moderators of Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being During Unsettling Times

During the last decades, a significant increase in empirical studies concerning school violence is observed. Evidence-based interventions that promote positive school climate have been found to improve social competence, resilience, and students’ well-being in schools, resulting in team bonding, feelings of acceptance, respect, and a sense of belonging. The present study explores junior high school students’ perceptions regarding school climate dimensions referring to safety and relationships (i.e., discipline/order, positive peer relations, bullying prevention, respect of diversity). The sample consisted of 726 students from junior high schools in the broader area of Athens (mean age 14.4 years). Questionnaires regarding school climate dimensions focusing on safety and relationships, subjective well-being, economic crisis difficulties, and demographic data including gender, school grade, and academic performance were completed. Using conditional process analyses, the effect of a three-way interaction between school climate, academic performance, and economic difficulties on junior high school students’ subjective well-being is examined. Gender and school grade are also studied. Results suggest that positive peer relations, bullying prevention, and respect for diversity associated with academic performance (but not with gender and school grade) moderate the relationship between economic difficulties and subjective well-being. The development and implementation of several intervention programs in diverse school settings in the Greek educational system are briefly discussed focusing on their effectiveness and usefulness regarding the promotion of school well-being and prevention of bullying and school violence.

The Mediating Effects in the Relationship among Workplace Bullying, Job Stress, and Nursing Organizational Culture after completing the course of 'Workplace Bullying Prevention Law'

The Mediating Effects in the Relationship among Workplace Bullying, Job Stress, and Nursing Organizational Culture after completing the course of 'Workplace Bullying Prevention Law'