Multidisciplinary school-based intervention reduces negative symptoms in victims of bullying

Abstract

Bullying is an intentional, repeated, long-term and unjustified aggression perpetrated by some students on their peers (Smith et al., 2008) Bullying prevalence is around 35% in Western countries (Modecki et al, 2014). Bullying impact on victims health is severe: low self-esteem, poor school adjustment, anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties (Center for Educational Statistics, 2016). Since prevention is a matter of public health, many school-based intervention programs have been developed (eg. KiVa, Kärnä et al, 2011). We present the results of a transversal intervention conducted by the Spanish Association for Bullying Prevention.

The program is composed of prevention talks addressed to the school community plus three modules (9h, addressed only to victims). Modules include self-defense (learning non-offensive techniques to respond to potential aggression); theatre (learning how to express emotions assertively) and psychology (increasing low self-esteem). Victims are identified through the analysis of the self-applied TEBAE test (Piñuel & Gisbert, 2016). This test informs about perception of being bullied; bullying intensity and its impact over the victims health. Modules assessment is done comparing pre/post TEBAE punctuations.

A total of 101 children out of 1191 (5%, sex was not registered) reported being victims of peer bullying (second grade: 24 (21%, N=110); third grade: 31 (16%, N=184); fourth grade: 6 (4%, N=140); fifth grade: 14 (8%, N=177); sixth grade: 9(4%, N=201); seventh grade: 3(2%, N=122); eight grade: 4 (4%, N=95); ninth grade: 8 (9%, N=86); tenth grade: 2 (2%, N=76)) across five public non-religious schools. Modules were successful because victims reported receiving significantly fewer (Z=-7.587, p<.001) less severe (Z=-6.555, p<.001) bullying actions as well as feeling significantly fewer negative symptoms (Z=-2.393, p<.05). However, the program failed to reduce bullying prevalence in previously non-victim population. Therefore, further interventions should apply modules to all students to avoid displacing victimization to new subjects.