The Effect of School-Based Bullying Prevention Program on Adolescents’ Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization,Dispositions and Future Expectations: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Background

Traditional bullying and cyberbullying have many negative physical and psychological consequences on adolescents.

Aim

In this study, the effects of a school-based bullying prevention program on adolescents’ traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization, tendencies and future expectations were examined.

Method

This research is a randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The data of the study were collected adolescents studying a school in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey between September and October 2024. The study was completed with a total of 169 adolescents. The adolescents in the intervention group were included in the school-based bullying prevention program.

Results

Adolescents who were included in the school-based bullying prevention program had statistically significantly lower mean scores of physical victimization and bullying, verbal victimization and bullying, and relational victimization and bullying, and higher mean scores of future expectations total scale than adolescents who were not included in the program in the measurements made one month after the program.

Conclusions

School-based bullying prevention program is effective in reducing traditional bullying and victimization of adolescents and increasing their future expectations. It is thought that school-based interventions to improve adolescents’ future expectations will contribute to reducing bullying and victimization rates of adolescents.

Plain Language Summary

Traditional bullying and cyberbullying have many negative physical and psychological consequences on adolescents. In this study, the effects of a school-based bullying prevention program on adolescents’ traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization, tendencies and future expectations were examined. This research is a randomized controlled experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The data of the study were collected adolescents studying a school in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey between September and October 2024. The study was completed with a total of 169 adolescents. The adolescents in the intervention group were included in the school-based bullying prevention program. Adolescents who were included in the school-based bullying prevention program had statistically significantly lower mean scores of physical victimization and bullying, verbal victimization and bullying, and relational victimization and bullying, and higher mean scores of future expectations total scale than adolescents who were not included in the program in the measurements made one month after the program.School-based bullying prevention program is effective in reducing traditional bullying and victimization of adolescents and increasing their future expectations. It is thought that school-based interventions to improve adolescents’ future expectations will contribute to reducing bullying and victimization rates of adolescents.

Keywords

cyberbullying traditional bullying victimization future expectation adolescent

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Agustiningsih

Yusuf

Ahsan

Fanani

(2024). The impact of bullying and cyberbullying on mental health: A systematic review. International Journal of Public Health Science, 13(2), 513. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v13i2.23683

Bao

Qian

Fei

Tian

Geng

Wang

Zhang

Zhao

C. H.

(2023). Bullying victimization and suicide attempts among adolescents in 41 low-and middle-income countries: Roles of sleep deprivation and body mass. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, Article 1064731. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1064731

Branje

de Moor

E. L.

Spitzer

Becht

A. I.

(2021). Dynamics of identity development in adolescence: A decade in review. Journal of Research on Adolescence: The Official Journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 31(4), 908–927. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12678

Camerini

A. L.

Marciano

Carrara

Schulz

P. J.

(2020). Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization among children and adolescents: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Telematics and Informatics, 49(September 2019), Article 101362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2020.101362

Carvalho

Branquinho

de Matos

M. G.

(2021). Cyberbullying and bullying: Impact on psychological symptoms and well-being. Child Indicators Research: The official Journal of the International Society for Child Indicators, 14(1), 435–452. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-020-09756-2

Chanda

Chirwa

Mwale

A. T.

Nakazwe

K. C.

Kabembo

I. M.

Nkole

(2024). Perceived social support and health care spending as moderators in the association of traditional bullying perpetration with traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimisation among adolescents in 27 European countries: A multilevel cross-national study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(7), 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070863

Chillemi

Abbott

J. A. M.

Austin

D. W.

Knowles

(2020). A pilot study of an online psychoeducational program on cyberbullying that aims to increase confidence and help-seeking behaviors among adolescents. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(4), 253–256. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0081

Evgin

Bayat

(2020). The effect of behavioral system model based nursing intervention on adolescent bullying. Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing, 28(1), 71–82. https://doi.org/10.5152/fnjn.2020.18061

Flannery

D. J.

Scholer

S. J.

Noriega

(2023). Bullying and school violence. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 70(6), 1153–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2023.06.014

10.

Franzen

van Duijn

M. A.

de Jong

P. J.

Veenstra

aan het Rot

(2024). How do victims of bullying develop depression? Testing interpersonal style to explain the victimization-depression link. Journal of Research on Adolescence: The Official Journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 34(4), 1391–1402. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13005

11.

Gabrielli

Rizzi

Carbone

Piras

E. M.

(2021). School interventions for bullying–cyberbullying prevention in adolescents: Insights from the Upright and Creep projects. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), Article 11697. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111697

12.

Gaffney

Ttofi

M. M.

Farrington

D. P.

(2021). Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 17(2), Article e1143. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1143

13.

Giumetti

G. W.

Kowalski

R. M.

(2022). Cyberbullying via social media and well-being. Current opinion in psychology, 45, Article 101314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101314

14.

Hensums

De Mooij

Kuijper

S. C.

Fekkes

Overbeek

(2023). What works for whom in school-based anti-bullying interventions? An individual participant data meta-analysis. Prevention Science: The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 24(8), 1435–1446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-022-01387-z

15.

Hikmat

Yosep

Hernawaty

Mardhiyah

(2024). A scoping review of anti-bullying interventions: Reducing traumatic effect of bullying among adolescents. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 17, 289–304. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S443841

16.

Hosozawa

Bann

Fink

Elsden

Baba

Iso

Patalay

(2021). Bullying victimisation in adolescence: Prevalence and inequalities by gender, socioeconomic status and academic performance across 71 countries. eClinicalMedicine, 41, Article 101142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101142

17.

Johander

Turunen

Garandeau

C. F.

Salmivalli

(2021). Different approaches to address bullying in KiVa schools: Adherence to guidelines, strategies ımplemented, and outcomes obtained. Prevention Science: The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, 22(3), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-020-01178-4

18.

Juvonen

Graham

(2014). Bullying in schools: The power of bullies and the plight of victims. Annual Review of Psychology, 65, 159–185. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115030

19.

Låftman

S. B.

Alm

Sandahl

Modin

(2018). Future orientation among students exposed to school bullying and cyberbullying victimization. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(4), 605. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040605

20.

Zhou

Sun

Wang

(2018). Cyber victimization and adolescent depression: The mediating role of psychological insecurity and the moderating role of perceived social support. Children and Youth Services Review, 94(September), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.09.027

21.

McWhirter

E. H.

McWhirter

B. T.

(2008). Adolescent future expectations of work, education, family, and community development of a new measure. Youth & Society, 40(2), 182–202. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X08314257

22.

Ozbey

Basdas

(2020). Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the bullying and cyber bullying scale for adolescents (BCS-A). Psychiatry Research, 289, Article 112994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112994

23.

Peprah

Oduro

M. S.

Okwei

Adu

Asiamah-Asare

B. Y.

Agyemang-Duah

(2023). Cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation among in-school adolescents in three countries: Implications for prevention and intervention. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 944. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-05268-9

24.

Rupananda

Dissanayake

Lokubalasooriya

(2023). A school-based intervention to reduce bullying among adolescents–experience from a rural setting in Sri Lanka. Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka, 29(2), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.4038/jccpsl.v29i2.8578

25.

Sainz

Martín-Moya

(2023). The importance of prevention programs to reduce bullying: A comparative study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(January), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1066358

26.

Salimi

Karimi-Shahanjarini

Rezapur-Shahkolai

Hamzeh

Roshanaei

Babamiri

(2019). The effect of an anti-bullying intervention on male students' bullying-victimization behaviors and social competence: A randomized controlled trial in deprived urban areas. Journal of Research in Health Sciences, 19(4), Article e00461.

27.

Schacter

H. L.

Bakth

F. N.

Johnson

J. N.

Hoffman

A. J.

(2024). Longitudinal effects of peer victimization on adolescents' future educational and work expectations depressive symptoms as a mechanism. Journal of Research on Adolescence: The Official Journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence, 34(4), 1445–1455. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13012

28.

Schmidt

C. J.

Pierce

Stoddard

S. A.

(2016). The mediating effect of future expectations on the relationship between neighborhood context and adolescent bullying perpetration. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(2), 232–248. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21761

29.

Schonfeld

McNiel

Toyoshima

Binder

(2023). Cyberbullying and adolescent suicide. The journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 51(1), 112–119. https://doi.org/10.29158/jaapl.220078-22

30.

Shams

Garmaroudi

Nedjat

Yekaninejad

M. S.

(2018). Effect of education based on socio-ecological theory on bullying in students: An educational study. Electronic Physician, 10(7), 7046–7053. https://doi.org/10.19082/7046

31.

Stoddard

S. A.

Varela

J. J.

Zimmerman

M. A.

(2015). Future expectations, attitude toward violence, and bullying perpetration during early adolescence: A mediation evaluation. Nursing Research, 64(6), 422–433. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0000000000000127

32.

Sun

Y. X.

Cao

C. H.

Tang

Z. J.

Huang

F. M.

Zhong

X. B.

Chen

I. H.

(2025). Moral disengagement as mediator and guilt as moderator between cyber moral literacy and cyberbullying among late adolescents. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83911-5

33.

Tao

Reichert

Law

Rao

(2022). Digital technology use and cyberbullying among primary school children: Digital literacy and parental mediation as moderators. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25(9), 571–579. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0012

34.

Thomas

H. J.

Scott

J. G.

Coates

J. M.

Connor

J. P.

(2019). Development and validation of the bullying and cyberbullying scale for adolescents: A multi-dimensional measurement model. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12223

35.

Ttofi

M. M.

Farrington

D. P.

Losel

Loeber

(2011). The predictive efficiency of school bullying versus later offending: A systematic/meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 21(2), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.808

36.

Tuncer

(2011). A research regardıng future expectatıons of unıversıty youth. Electronic Turkish Studies, 6(2), 935–948. https://doi.org/10.7827/turkishstudies.2265

37.

Yosep

Hikmat

Mardhiyah

(2023). School-based nursing interventions for preventing bullying and reducing its incidence on students: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1577. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021577

38.

Yurdakul

Ayhan

A. B.

(2023). The effect of the cyberbullying awareness program on adolescents’ awareness of cyberbullying and their coping skills. Current Psychology, 42(28), 24208–24222. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03483-3