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Cyberbullying among youth is an emerging public health concern that has a wide array of deleterious outcomes. The current meta-analytic review synthesized school-based cyberbullying prevention programs' impact on promoting cyber-bystander intervention among K-12 students. As a result of exhaustive searches and a thorough screening procedure, a total of 9 studies were identified as eligible. Meta-analytic synthesis of the 9 studies involving 35 effect sizes demonstrated that overall, the treatment effect was not statistically significant (g = 0.29, SE = 0.14, p = .07, 95% CI [-0.03, 0.61]). Findings of the moderator analyses suggest that incorporating an empathy activation component in the prevention program was associated with better program effectiveness in promoting cyber-bystander intervention. Further, older age was found to be associated with better program outcomes. Findings of the current meta-analysis provide important insight for developing cyberbullying prevention programs that promote cyber-bystander intervention.

Bias-based aggression at school in the form of homophobic name-calling is quite prevalent among early adolescents. Homophobic name-calling is associated with low academic performance, higher risky sexual behaviors, and substance abuse, among other adverse outcomes. This longitudinal study examined risk and protective factors across multiple domains of the social ecology (individual, peer, family, school and community) and levels of analysis (within- and between-person) associated with homophobic name-calling perpetration and victimization. Students from four middle schools in the U.S. Midwest (N = 1,655; [X-bar] age = 12.75; range = 10-16 years) were surveyed four times (Spring/Fall 2008, Spring/Fall 2009). For homophobic name-calling perpetration, significant risk factors included impulsivity, social dominance, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence; while empathy, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors. For homophobic name-calling victimization, significant risk factors included empathy (between-person), impulsivity, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence, while empathy (within-person), parental monitoring, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors.

Evidence suggests that cyberbullying among school-age children is related to problem behaviors and other adverse school performance constructs. As a result, numerous school-based programs have been developed and implemented to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Given the extensive literature and variation in program effectiveness, we conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of programs to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Our review included published and unpublished literature, utilized modern, transparent, and reproducible methods, and examined confirmatory and exploratory moderating factors. A total of 50 studies and 320 effect sizes spanning 45,371 participants met the review protocol criteria. Results indicated that programs significantly reduced cyberbullying perpetration (g = -0.18, SE = 0.05, 95% CI [-0.28, -0.09]) and victimization (g = -0.13, SE = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.21, -0.05]). Moderator analyses, however, yielded only a few statistically significant findings. We interpret these findings and provide implications for future cyberbullying prevention policy and practice.

Peer victimization, also referred to as bullying victimization, is associated with deleterious mental health outcomes including depression and suicidality. However, most of the bullying literature in the USA is centered around the experiences of non-Latinx White and African American adolescents. To center Latinx experiences, this cross-sectional study includes a sample of Latinx students from 19 Colorado high schools (n = 2554). School-level ethnic peer representation (proportion of Latinx peers) and individual student's willingness to seek help were examined independently as moderators between bullying victimization and mental health outcomes (depression and suicidality) separately by gender. Results indicated that Latinx youth who experienced peer victimization also reported higher symptoms of depression and suicidality. A greater willingness to seek help was associated with less symptoms of depression and suicidality among young Latinx youth, while school-level ethnic peer representation was only associated with lower symptoms of depression for Latinx adolescent females. Among Latinx youth who were victimized, a greater willingness to seek help was protective for symptoms of depression and suicidality. Results suggest that school-based programs for bullying prevention and mental health promotion need to examine culturally specific protective factors to reduce victimization and promote help-seeking norms among Latinx youth.

School resource officers and other school security professionals (SSPs) (e.g., security specialists, guardians, campus monitors) have become increasingly common in schools; however, most states do not require that these professionals receive training related to understanding trauma and how it may affect students' behavior and how to promote social-emotional learning competencies among students. The current project evaluated an online professional development program for SSPs that provides education on two topics related to best practices in working with youth in K-12 school settings: trauma-informed care (TIC) and social-emotional learning. This study used a posttest-only design of 96 SSPs from a county in the southeastern United States. Participants self-selected into two trainings: Cohort 1 (immediate intervention, May 2019) or Cohort 2 (delayed intervention-control group, August 2019). A linear regression model indicated that Cohort 1 (immediate intervention) scored significantly higher on TIC knowledge (b = 0.36, p < 0.01) and competencies (b = 0.31, p < 0.01) than Cohort 2 (delayed intervention-control group). More studies are needed to assess how training for SSPs directly impacts school climate and school safety.

School resource officers (SROs) and school security professionals (SSPs) have increased presence in schools, yet little is known about how they view the importance of their relationships with students and the broader school climate. This article is part of a larger study of an online professional development module on trauma-informed care and is focused on the qualitative reflection responses from 95 participants from three large school districts in the southeast United States. Informed by the levels of ecological systems theory, three salient themes were identified by the researchers: how SSPs and SROs describe school climate, how they respond to students with traumatic experiences, and how their perspectives may be affected by their differing roles. Findings indicate that SROs and SSPs benefited from this training on trauma-informed care because they expressed learning new strategies and feeling better equipped to serve and support students with known or unknown adverse childhood experiences.

Aggression among peers during adolescence is associated with deleterious developmental outcomes. Family violence has been strongly associated with many forms of aggression - such as verbal and physical aggression. Yet, associations between sibling and peer aggression at school and the protective role of school belonging remain understudied. Thus, the present study addresses this gap. Middle school students (N = 1611) completed self-report surveys four times across 2 years in a U.S. Midwest state. A multi-level within- and between-person longitudinal design was employed to examine associations among sibling aggression perpetration, witnessing intrafamilial violence, and verbal and physical peer aggression at school. Also, the moderating effect of school belonging between family violence and peer aggression was also investigated. Higher levels of sibling aggression were associated with higher verbal peer aggression at both within- and between-person levels. Family violence was associated with higher verbal and physical peer aggression, but only at the between-person level and not within-individuals. Higher school belonging was associated with less verbal and physical peer aggression overtime. School belonging moderated the relation between sibling aggression and verbal as well as physical aggression; higher within-person level sibling aggression was associated with lower verbal and physical aggression when students reported a strong sense of school belonging. Aggression prevention programs that focus on fostering school connectedness may mitigate the transmission of violence from home to school., Author(s): Alberto Valido [sup.1] , Katherine Ingram [sup.1] , Dorothy L. Espelage [sup.1] , Cagil Torgal [sup.2] , Gabriel J. Merrin [sup.3] , Jordan P. Davis [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

Cyberbullying among youth is an emerging public health concern that has a wide array of deleterious outcomes. The current meta-analytic review synthesized school-based cyberbullying prevention programs' impact on promoting cyber-bystander intervention among K–12 students. As a result of exhaustive searches and a thorough screening procedure, a total of 9 studies were identified as eligible. Meta-analytic synthesis of the 9 studies involving 35 effect sizes demonstrated that overall, the treatment effect was not statistically significant (g = 0.29, SE = 0.14, p =.07, 95% CI [-0.03, 0.61]). Findings of the moderator analyses suggest that incorporating an empathy activation component in the prevention program was associated with better program effectiveness in promoting cyber-bystander intervention. Further, older age was found to be associated with better program outcomes. Findings of the current meta-analysis provide important insight for developing cyberbullying prevention programs that promote cyber-bystander intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bias-based aggression at school in the form of homophobic name-calling is quite prevalent among early adolescents. Homophobic name-calling is associated with low academic performance, higher risky sexual behaviors, and substance abuse, among other adverse outcomes. This longitudinal study examined risk and protective factors across multiple domains of the social ecology (individual, peer, family, school and community) and levels of analysis (within- and between-person) associated with homophobic name-calling perpetration and victimization. Students from four middle schools in the U.S. Midwest (N = 1,655; X ¯ age = 12.75; range = 10–16 years) were surveyed four times (Spring/Fall 2008, Spring/Fall 2009). For homophobic name-calling perpetration, significant risk factors included impulsivity, social dominance, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence; while empathy, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors. For homophobic name-calling victimization, significant risk factors included empathy (between-person), impulsivity, traditional masculinity, family violence, and neighborhood violence, while empathy (within-person), parental monitoring, peer support, school belonging, and adult support were significant protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]