Tools- of Changes

What Works for Whom in School-Based Anti-bullying Interventions? An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis

This meta-analysis found that interventions were more effective with participants who were under the age of 12 and those most heavily victimized before the intervention. Interventions with older children may need to be more intensive, target the bullies directly, offer them prosocial ways to gain popularity, and account for their strive for autonomy and respect.

• This open-access study conducted a meta-analysis of data from 39,793 children and adolescents aged five to 20 years who had participated in controlled (quasi-experimental) or randomized controlled trials of school-based anti-bullying interventions, mostly in Europe. The analysis narrowed down to 10 studies testing nine interventions. Multilevel logistic regression analyses showed that anti-bullying interventions significantly reduced self-reported victimization and bullying perpetration. The interventions were more effective with participants who were under the age of 12 and those most heavily victimized before the intervention. The authors did not find a correlation between specific interventions and overall impacts, except for an iatrogenic effect of non-punitive disciplinary methods, which was strongest for girls.
• The authors suggest that interventions with older children may need a stronger emphasis on their strive for autonomy and respect, as they are more sensitive than younger children to being treated with respect and less willing to accept the authority of adults. The authors also note that since adolescent bullies may focus more on gaining status by bullying, interventions for adolescents might offer prosocial ways to gain popularity. In addition, since bully-victim patterns may have become more fixed in adolescence, interventions aimed at this age group may need to be more intensive and targeted directly at the bullies.