Therese Shaw

Bullying in school and cyberspace: Associations with depressive symptoms in Swiss and Australian adolescents

BackgroundCyber-bullying (i.e., bullying via electronic means) has emerged as a new form of bullying that presents unique challenges to those victimised. Recent studies have demonstrated that there is a significant conceptual and practical overlap between both types of bullying such that most young people who are cyber-bullied also tend to be bullied by more traditional methods. Despite the overlap between traditional and cyber forms of bullying, it remains unclear if being a victim of cyber-bullying has the same negative consequences as being a victim of traditional bullying.MethodThe current study investigated associations between cyber versus traditional bullying and depressive symptoms in 374 and 1320 students from Switzerland and Australia respectively (52% female; Age: M = 13.8, SD = 1.0). All participants completed a bullying questionnaire (assessing perpetration and victimisation of traditional and cyber forms of bullying behaviour) in addition to scales on depressive symptoms.ResultsAcross both samples, traditional victims and bully-victims reported more depressive symptoms than bullies and non-involved children. Importantly, victims of cyber-bullying reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms, even when controlling for the involvement in traditional bullying/victimisation.ConclusionsOverall, cyber-victimisation emerged as an additional risk factor for depressive symptoms in adolescents involved in bullying.

Three‐year results of the Friendly Schools whole‐of‐school intervention on children’s bullying behaviour

A group randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of the Friendly Schools program to reduce student bullying behaviour. This socio‐ecological intervention targeted the whole school, classroom, family, and individual students to reduce bullying behaviour. Self‐report data were collected in 29 schools over three years from a cohort of 1968 eight to nine‐year‐olds. Surveys measured frequency of being bullied, bullying others, telling if bullied and observing bullying. Results indicate that intervention students were significantly less likely to observe bullying at 12, 24 and 36 months and be bullied after 12 and 36 months, and significantly more likely to tell if bullied after 12 months than comparison students. No differences were found for self‐reported perpetration of bullying. The findings suggest whole‐of‐school programs that engage students in their different social contexts appear to reduce their experiences of being bullied and increase their likelihood of telling someone if they are bullied.

National Safe Schools Framework: Policy and practice to reduce bullying in Australian schools

In 2003 Australia was one of the first countries to develop an integrated national policy, called the National Safe Schools Framework (NSSF), for the prevention and management of violence, bullying, and other aggressive behaviors. The effectiveness of this framework has not yet been formally evaluated. Cross-sectional data collected in 2007 from 7,418 students aged 9 to 14 years old and 453 teachers from 106 representative Australian schools were analyzed to determine teachers’ perceptions about the extent of implementation of the NSSF, teachers’ capacity to address student bullying, and students’ reports of bullying in their school, 4 years following the framework’s dissemination. While methodological issues limit the findings, schools appear not to have widely implemented the recommended safe school practices, teachers appear to need more training to address bullying, especially covert bullying, and bullying prevalence among students seems relatively unchanged compared to Australian data collected 4 years prior to the launch of the NSSF.

The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS): validity and reliability estimates for a measure of bullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence

The study of bullying behavior and its consequences for young people depends on valid and reliable measurement of bullying victimization and perpetration. Although numerous self-report bullying-related measures have been developed, robust evidence of their psychometric properties is scant, and several limitations inhibit their applicability. The Forms of Bullying Scale (FBS), with versions to measure bullying victimization (FBS-V) and perpetration (FBS-P), was developed on the basis of existing instruments, for use with 12- to 15-year-old adolescents to economically, yet comprehensively measure both bullying perpetration and victimization. Measurement properties were estimated. Scale validity was tested using data from 2 independent studies of 3,496 Grade 8 and 783 Grade 8-10 students, respectively. Construct validity of scores on the FBS was shown in confirmatory factor analysis. The factor structure was not invariant across gender. Strong associations between the FBS-V and FBS-P and separate single-item bullying items demonstrated adequate concurrent validity. Correlations, in directions as expected with social-emotional outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, conduct problems, and peer support), provided robust evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Responses to the FBS items were found to be valid and concurrently reliable measures of self-reported frequency of bullying victimization and perpetration, as well as being useful to measure involvement in the different forms of bullying behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of a school-based peer leader bicycle helmet intervention.

Objectives. Bicycle-related injury remains a major cause of death and injury hospitalization among Australian children. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a whole-school intervention to increase the correct wearing of bicycle helmets by primary school children. Methods. A randomized intervention trial was conducted in 27 Western Australian primary schools. A major component of the intervention was a peer-led classroom curriculum for 10–12 year old children. Helmet use by cyclists was observed as children were leaving school at baseline (May 2000) and after the first year and second year of the intervention. A cohort of 10–11 year old children in study schools completed a self-administered questionnaire at the same three data collection points. Results. Over the 2 years of the study, observed helmet wearing rates declined by 13% in the control group (from 93% at baseline to 80% at post-test 2) and by 5% in the intervention group (from 89% to 84%) (F = 1.745, p = 0.185). Among the Grade 5/6 cohort students who were regular riders, the likelihood of reporting always wearing a helmet was 1.9 times higher at post-test 1 (z = 2.51, p = 0.012) and 1.7 times higher at post-test 2 (z = 2.13, p = 0.033) for the intervention group than the control group students who did not always wear a helmet at baseline. Conclusions. The data suggest that school-based activities can arrest the rate of decline in helmet use by children. Using peer teachers is a useful strategy to engage students in normative-based protective behaviours. The logistical challenges this strategy presents appear to be worth the outcomes.

The association between the mental health and behavioural problems of students and their reactions to cyber-victimization

Cyber-victimization is associated with mental health and behavioural problems and, consequently, young people need effective coping strategies. This study examined the relationship between the aggressive, assertive and passive actions of students after cyber-victimization and their mental health and behavioural problems. In total, 472 students reported being cyber-victimized (primary n = 101, secondary n = 371) and taking action. Student actions did not predict depressive or emotional symptoms. Students who responded aggressively used significantly fewer assertive strategies, had more conduct and hyperactivity problems, more overall difficulties, and fewer prosocial behaviours than students who responded assertively but not aggressively. Primary students reported more emotional symptoms and peer problems than secondary students. This study has important implications for the type (e.g., prosocial ICT skills, assertive skills training) and timing of the support provided to students who are cyber-victimized.

Problem Behaviours, Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying among Adolescents: Longitudinal Analyses.

Problem Behaviour Theory suggests that young peoples problem behaviours tend to cluster. This study examined the relationship between traditional bullying, cyberbullying and engagement in problem behaviours using longitudinal data from approximately 1500 students. Levels of traditional victimisation and perpetration at the beginning of secondary school (grade 8, age 12) predicted levels of engagement in problem behaviours at the end of grade 9 (age 14). Levels of victimisation and perpetration were found to moderate each others associations with engagement in problem behaviours. Cyberbullying did not represent an independent risk factor over and above levels of traditional victimisation and perpetration for higher levels of engagement in problem behaviours. The findings suggest that to reduce the clustering of cyberbullying behaviours with other problem behaviours, it may be necessary to focus interventions on traditional bullying, specifically direct bullying.

Does harm minimisation lead to greater experimentation? Results from a school smoking intervention trial

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Declines in adolescent smoking prevalence have slowed recently, resulting in increased interest and literature in tobacco harm minimisation. To date, harm reduction strategies have focused largely on modifying the product and alternative (safer) mechanisms of nicotine delivery. There has been little exploration of primary harm minimisation to prevent the onset of regular smoking among young people. A major concern expressed about harm reduction interventions and young people is that they may increase experimentation among non-users. DESIGN AND METHODS The Smoking Cessation for Youth Project was a 2-year school-based cluster randomised controlled trial conducted in 30 Western Australian schools. Results on the primary outcome showed a significant reduction in regular smoking among 4636 13-15-year-olds receiving a harm minimisaton versus standard intervention. This paper addresses the intervention effects on 2078 students who had not smoked at baseline. RESULTS At 20-month follow-up, smoking initiation was slightly lower among intervention students than comparison students (who received a largely abstinence-based intervention), although this difference did not attain statistical significance (OR=0.86; 95% confidence interval: 0.68, 1.09). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS This study provided limited evidence to suggest that harm minimisation is a superior approach to abstinence-based interventions for non-smokers. However, this intervention did not contribute to increased experimentation among non-smokers. Although more trials are required, these results indicate that fears of potential negative iatrogenic effects from school-based harm minimisation interventions may be unwarranted.

Longitudinal impact of the Cyber Friendly Schools program on adolescents' cyberbullying behavior

Cyberbullying is a major public health problem associated with serious mental, social, and academic consequences for young people. To date, few programs addressing cyberbullying have been developed and empirically tested. The Cyber Friendly Schools (CFS) group-randomized controlled trial measured the longitudinal impact of a whole-school online cyberbullying prevention and intervention program, developed in partnership with young people. Non-government secondary schools in Perth, Western Australia, (N = 35; 3,000+ students) were randomized to an intervention (n = 19) or usual practice control group (n = 16 schools). Students completed online questionnaires in 2010, 2011, and at 1-year follow-up in 2012, measuring their cyberbullying experiences during the previous school term. The intervention group received the program in Grades 8 and 9 (aged 13-14 years). Program effects were tested using two-part growth models. The program was associated with significantly greater declines in the odds of involvement in cyber-victimization and perpetration from pre- to the first post-test, but no other differences were evident between the study conditions. However, teachers implemented only one third of the program content. More work is needed to build teacher capacity and self-efficacy to effectively implement cyberbullying programs. Whole-school cyberbullying interventions implemented in conjunction with other bullying prevention programs may reduce cyber-victimization more than traditional school-based bullying prevention programs alone. Aggr. Behav. 42:166-180, 2016.

Adolescent Bully-Victims: Social Health and the Transition to Secondary School.

This study aimed to investigate the causal pathways and factors associated with being involved in bullying behaviour as a bully-victim using longitudinal data from students aged 11–14 years over the transition time from primary to secondary school. Examination of bully-victim pathways suggest a critical time to intervene is prior to transition from the end of primary school to the beginning of secondary school to prevent and reduce the harm from bullying. Negative outcome expectancies from bullying perpetration were a significant predictor of being a bully-victim at the end of the first year of secondary school. The findings show an association between peer support, connectedness to school, pro-victim attitudes, outcome expectancies and level of bullying involvement. Implications for intervention programs are discussed.