Questions of the Effectiveness of the Anti-Bullying Programs

This article reviews the methods and theoretical underpinnings of research on the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs. Despite the widespread use of anti-bullying programs in many countries in Europe, Asia and America, a number of researchers conclude that many of them demonstrate poor effectiveness or are ineffective at all. The article attempts to provide a definition of anti-bullying programs, based on the definition of programs in general, as well as on the criteria for selecting programs for meta-analysis. The dependence of perceptions of program effectiveness on the theoretical framework used in meta-analyses, as well as on the specific methodologies used in evaluating the effectiveness of individual programs, is examined. Described techniques that have emerged within specific anti-bullying programs and theories, techniques for investigating bullying situations that are not tied to specific theories of bullying, and psychological techniques that allow for an indirect assessment of the impact of bullying on students. Conclusions made about what procedures and techniques for researching the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs can make assessing the effect of a program more accurate.

1. Bojkina E.E. Agressiya skvoz' prizmu sotsial'nogo ostrakizma [Aggression through the prism of social ostracism]. Sovremennaya zarubezhnaya psikhologiya = Journal of Modern Foreign Psychology, 2019. Vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 60—67. DOI:10.17759/jmfp.2019080307
2. Kuzmin A. Chto takoe programma ili proekt [What is a program or project]. In Kuzmin A.I., O'Sallivan R., Kosheleva N.A. (eds.), Otsenka programm: metodologiya i praktika [Program Evaluation: Methodology and Practice]. Moscow: Presto-RK, 2009, pp. 10—19.
3. Bochaver A.A., Kuznetsova V.B., Bianki E.M., Dmitrievskii P.V., Zavalishina M.A., Kaporskaya N.A., Khlomova K.D. Oprosnik riska bullinga (ORB) [Bullying Risk Questionnaire (ORB)]. Voprosy psikhologii [Questions of psychology], 2015, no. 5, pp. 146—157.
4.  Chirkina R.V., Boykina E.E., Koykova K.S., Brigadirenko N.V., Stratiychuk E.V., Tishkova Y.V., Chebotarev I.V. Otsenka profilakticheskogo potentsiala tekhnologii «Umelyi klass» v formirovanii sotsial'no znachimykh navykov u detei [Evaluation of the Preventive Potential of the Technology for the Formation of Socially Significant Children Skills in the Skillful Сlass-method]. Psikhologiya i parvo = Psychology and Law, 2020. Vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 93—110. DOI:10.17759/psylaw.2020100407
5. Kärnä A., Voeten M., Little T.D., Poskiparta E., Koljonen A., Salmivalli C. A large-scale evaluation of the KiVa antibullying program. Child Development, 2011. Vol. 82, no. 1, pp. 311—330. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01557.x
6. Huang Y., Espelage D.L., Polanin J.R., Hong J.S. A Meta-analytic Review of School-Based Anti-bullying Programs with a Parent Component. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2019. Vol. 1, pp. 32—44.
7. Kaljee L., Zhang L., Langhaug L., Munjile K., Tembo S., Menon A., Stanton B., Li X., Malungo J. A randomized-control trial for the teachers’ diploma programme on psychosocial care, support and protection in Zambian government primary schools. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 2017. Vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 381—392. DOI:10.1080/13548506.2016.1153682
8. Patton D., Hong J., Patel S., Kral M. A Systematic Review of Research Strategies Used in Qualitative Studies on School Bullying and Victimization. Trauma, violence & abuse, 2016. Vol. 18, no. 1. DOI:10.1177/1524838015588502
9. Andreou E., Didaskalou E., Vlachou A. Evaluating the effectiveness of a curriculum-based anti-bullying intervention program in Greek primary schools. Educational Psychology, 2007. Vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 693—711. DOI:10.1080/01443410601159993
10. Ballard M., Argus T., Remley T.P. Bullying and School Violence: A Proposed Prevention Program. NASSP Bulletin, 1999. Vol. 83, no. 607, pp. 38—47.
11. Bauer N.S., Lozano P., Rivara F.P. The effectiveness of the Olweus bullying prevention program in public middle schools: A controlled trial. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2007. Vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 266—274. DOI:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.10.005
12. Boviard J.A. Scales and surveys: some problems with measuring bullying behavior. In Jimerson S.R., Swearer S.M., Espelageet D.L. (eds.), Handbook of bulling in schools. Oxford: Routledge, 2009, pp. 277—292.
13. Salmivalli C., Lagerspetz K., Björkqvist K., Österman K., Kaukiainen A. Bullying as a group process: participant roles and their relations to social status within the group. In Zukauskiene R. (ed.), Interpersonal Development. London: Routledge, 2017, pp. 233—247. DOI:10.4324/9781351153683-13
14. Demaray M.K., Summers K.H., Jenkins L.N., Davidson B.L. Bullying Participant Behaviors Questionnaire (BPBQ) : Establishing a Reliable and Valid Measure. Journal of School Violence, 2016. Vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 158—188. DOI:10.1080/15388220.2014.964801
15. Yeager D.S., Fong C.J., Lee H.Y., Espelage D.L. Declines in efficacy of anti-bullying programs among older adolescents: Theory and a three-level meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2015. Vol. 37, pp. 36—51. DOI:10.1016/j.appdev.2014.11.005
16. DeRosier M.E., Marcus S.R. Building friendships and combating bullying: effectiveness of S.S.GRIN at one-year follow-up. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 2005. Vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 140—150. DOI:10.1207/s15374424jccp3401_13
17. Ertesvag S.K., Vaaland G.S. Prevention and reduction of behavioural problems in school: An evaluation of the Respect program. Educational Psychology, 2007. Vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 713—736. DOI:10.1080/01443410701309258
18. Limber S., Olweus D., Wang W., Masiello M., Breivik K. Evaluation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program: A large scale study of U.S. students in grades 3—11. Journal of School Psychology, 2018. Vol. 69, pp. 56—72. DOI:10.1016/j.jsp.2018.04.004
19. Gaffney H., Farrington D.P., Ttofi M.M. Examining the Effectiveness of School-Bullying Intervention Programs Globally: a Meta-analysis. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2019. Vol. 1, pp. 14—31. DOI:10.1007/s42380-019-0007-4
20. Gaffney H., Ttofi M.M., Farrington D.P. Evaluating the effectiveness of school-bullying prevention programs: An updated meta-analytical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2019. Vol. 45, pp. 111—133. DOI:10.1016/j.avb.2018.07.001
21. Gaffney H., Ttofi M.M., Farrington D.P. What works in anti-bullying programs? Analysis of effective intervention components. Journal of School Psychology, 2021. Vol. 85, pp. 37—56. DOI:10.1016/j.jsp.2020.12.002
22. Merrell K.W., Guelder B.A., Ross S.W., Isava D.M. How effective are school bullying intervention programs? A meta-analvsis of intervention research. School Psychology Quarterly, 2008. Vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 26—42. DOI:10.1037/1045-3830.23.1.26
23. Limber S.P., Nation M., Tracy A.J., Melton G.B., Flerx V. Implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention programme in the Southeastern United States [Elektronnyi resurs]. In Smith P.K., Pepler D., Rigby K. (eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 55—79. URL: https://books.google.ru/books?id=Poafo8EaS2MC&source (Accessed 11.01.2023).
24. Lee S., Kim C-J., Kim D.H. A meta-analysis of the effect of school-based anti-bullying programs. Journal of Child Health Care, 2013. Vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 136—153. DOI:10.1177/1367493513503581
25. Liu J., Graves N. “Childhood Bullying: A Review of Constructs, Concepts, and Nursing Implications”. Public Health Nursing, 2011. Vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 556—568. DOI:10.1111/j.1525-1446.2011.00972.x
26. Olweus D. «The Olweus Bulling Prevention Program: implementation and evaluation over two decades». In Jimerson S.R., Swearer S.M., Espelage D.L. (eds.), Handbook of bulling in schools. New York: Routledge, 2009, pp. 377—402.
27. Olweus D. The Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire [Elektronnyi resurs]. 1996. 12 p. URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247979482_The_Olweus_BullyVictim_Questionnaire (Accessed 11.01.2023).
28. Olweus D. “Understanding and researching bulling: some critical issues”. In Jimerson S.R., Swearer S.M., Espelage D.L. (eds.), Handbook of bulling in schools. New York: Routledge, 2009, pp. 9—33. DOI:10.4324/9780203864968
29. Rahey L., Craig W.M. Evaluation of an ecological program to reduce bullying in schools [Elektronnyi resurs]. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 2002. Vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 281—295. URL: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/rcc/article/view/58699 (Accessed 11.01.2023).
30. Frey K., Hirschstein M.K., Snell J.L., van Schoiack E.L., MacKenzie E.P., Broderick C.J. Reducing playground bullying and supporting beliefs: An experimental trial of the Steps to Respect program. Developmental Psychology, 2005. Vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 479—490. DOI:10.1037/0012-1649.41.3.479
31. Zych I., Viejo C., Vila E., Farrington D.P. School Bullying and Dating Violence in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 2021. Vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 397—412. DOI:10.1177/1524838019854460
32. Farrington D.P., Lösel F., Ttofi M.M., Theodorakis N. School bullying, depression and offending behavior later in life: An updated systematic review of longitudinal studies [Elektronnyi resurs]. Stockholm: The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2012. URL: www.bra.se/download/18.1ff479c3135e8540b29800014815/2012_Bullying_perpetration_webb.pdf (Accessed 11.01.2023).
33. Sharon A., Stephen J. Assessment of bully/victim problems in 8 to 11 year-olds. British journal of educational psychology, 1996. Vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 447—456. DOI:10.1111/j.2044-8279.1996.tb01211.x
34. Inchley J., Currie D., Budisavljevic S., Torsheim T., Jåstad A., Cosma A., Kelly C., Arnarsson Á.M., Samdal O. (eds.) Spotlight on Adolescent Health and Well-Being. Findings from the 2017/2018 HBSC survey in Europe and Canada. International report. Vol. 2. Key data [Elektronnyi resurs]. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2020. 137 p. URL: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/332104 (Accessed 11.01.2023).
35. Persson M., Wennberg L., Beckman L., Salmivalli C., Svensson M. The Cost-Effectiveness of the Kiva Antibullying Program: Results from a Decision-Analytic Model. Prevention Science, 2018. Vol. 19, pp. 728—737. DOI:10.1007/s11121-018-0893-6
36. Ferguson C.J., Miguel C.S., Kilburn J.C., Sanchez P. The effectiveness of school-based anti-bullying programs: A meta-analytic review. Criminal Justice Review, 2007. Vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 401—414. DOI:10.1177/0734016807311712
37. Smith J.D., Schneider B.H., Smith P.K., Ananiadou K. The effectiveness of wholeschool antibullying programs: A synthesis of evaluation research. School Psychology Review, 2004. Vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 547—560. DOI:10.1080/02796015.2004.12086267
38. Park-Higgerson H.K., Perumean-Chaney S.E., Bartolucci A.A., Grimley D.M., Singh K.P. The evaluation of school-based violence prevention programs: a meta-analysis. Journal of School Health, 2008. Vol. 78, no. 9, pp. 465—479. DOI:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00332.x
39. Evers K.E., Prochaska J.O., Van Marter D.F., Johnson J.L., Prochaska J.M. Transtheoretical-based bullying prevention effectiveness trials in middle schools and high schools. Educational Research, 2007. Vol. 49, no. 4, pp. 397—414. DOI:10.1080/00131880701717271
40. Ttofi M.M., Farrington D.P. Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2011. Vol. 7, pp. 27—56.
41. Ttofi M.M., Farrington D.P., Baldry A.C. Effectiveness of programmes to reduce school bullying: A systematic review [Elektronnyi resurs]. Stockholm: The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 2008. 92 p. URL: https://bra.se/download/18.cba82f7130f475a2f1800023387/1371914733490/2008_programs_reduce_school_bullying.pdf (Accessed 11.01.2023).
42. Zych I., Ortega-Ruiz R., Del Rey R. Systematic review of theoretical studies on bullying and cyberbullying: Facts, knowledge, prevention, and intervention. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2015. Vol. 23, pp. 1—21. DOI:10.1016/j.avb.2015.10.001