Abstract
Peer victimization, or the experience of being the recipient of aggressive behavior intended to oppress, humiliate, or dominate others, is a concern due to the negative outcomes that often result for those involved. These interactions involve not only the victim and the aggressor, but also bystanders who witness these acts. The chapter authors briefly overview existing school-wide interventions followed by a review of targeted interventions for aggressors. Finally, they examine the limited research on targeted interventions for peer-victimized youth. The majority of intervention work has focused on universal, school-based programs, which have demonstrated modest success. The literature provides some support for the use of school-wide universal interventions. However, there are many factors that influence the utility of these programs. The authors call for research to understand the most effective components and moderators of intervention success. Targeted interventions for aggressive behavior, including cognitive behavioral approaches and parent management training, are effective in reducing peer aggression. The effects of such programs specifically on bullying behavior, however, still warrants further evaluation. Research on effective targeted interventions for peer-victimized youth remains limited and warrants further research. Cognitive behavioral approaches appear to be promising, but larger scale randomized controlled trials that follow youth over time are needed.
John L. Cooley was supported in part by a training fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health (T32 MH015442).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Note that the sign of the effect size is reported as the reduction or improvement in each outcome variable.
- 2.
Note that details from this case have been de-identified and changed to protect the identity of the patient and his family.
References
Baldry, A. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2004). Evaluation of an intervention program for the reduction of bullying and victimization in schools. Aggressive Behavior, 30, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20000.
Barboza, G. E., Schiamberg, L. B., Oehmke, J., Korzeniewski, S. J., Post, L. A., & Heraux, C. G. (2009). Individual characteristics and the multiple contexts of adolescent bullying: An ecological perspective. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38, 101–121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9271-1.
Berry, K., & Hunt, C. J. (2009). Evaluation of an intervention program for anxious adolescent boys who are bullied at school. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45, 376–382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.04.023.
Botvin, G. J., Griffin, K. W., & Nichols, T. D. (2006). Preventing youth violence and delinquency through a universal school-based prevention approach. Prevention Science, 7, 403–408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-006-0057-y.
Bradshaw, C. P. (2013). Preventing bullying through positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS): A multitiered approach to prevention and integration. Theory Into Practice, 52, 288–295. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2013.829732.
Bradshaw, C. P., Koth, C. W., Thornton, L. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2009). Altering school climate through school-wide positive behavioral intervention and supports: Findings from a group-randomized effectiveness trial. Prevention Science, 10, 100–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0114-9.
Bradshaw, C. P., Mitchell, M. M., & Leaf, P. J. (2010). Examining the effects of schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports on student outcomes: Results from a randomized controlled effectiveness trial in elementary schools. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 12, 133–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300709334798.
Bradshaw, C. P., Sawyer, A. L., & O’Brennan, L. M. (2007). Bullying and peer victimization at school: Perceptual differences between students and school staff. School Psychology Review, 36, 361–382.
Camodeca, M., Goossens, F. A., Terwogt, M. M., & Schuengel, C. (2002). Bullying and victimization among school-age children: Stability and links to proactive and reactive aggression. Social Development, 11, 332–345. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9507.00203.
Card, N. A., & Hodges, E. V. (2008). Peer victimization among schoolchildren: Correlations, causes, consequences, and considerations in assessment and intervention. School Psychology Quarterly, 23, 451–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012769.
Card, N. A., Isaacs, J., & Hodges, E. V. E. (2007). Correlates of school victimization: Implications for prevention and intervention. In J. E. Zins, M. J. Elias, & C. A. Maher (Eds.), Bullying, victimization, and peer harassment: A handbook of prevention and intervention (pp. 339–366). New York, NY: Haworth Press.
Center for Disease Control. (2012). Understanding bullying—fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/BullyingFactsheet2012-a.pdf.
Centers for Disease Control. (2016). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 65, 1–174.
Chu, B. C., & Harrison, T. L. (2007). Disorder-specific effects of CBT for anxious and depressed youth: A meta-analysis of candidate mediators of change. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 10, 352–372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-007-0028-2.
Chu, B. C., Hoffman, L., Johns, A., Reyes-Portillo, J., & Hansford, A. (2015). Transdiagnostic behavior therapy for bullying-related anxiety and depression: Initial development and pilot study. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 22, 415–429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2014.06.007.
Cook, C., Williams, K. R., Guerra, N. G., Kim, T., & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25, 65–83. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020149.
Cooke, M. B., Ford, J., Levine, J., Bourke, C., Newell, L., & Lapidus, G. (2007). The effects of city-wide implementation of ‘Second Step’ on elementary school students’ prosocial and aggressive behaviors. Journal of Primary Prevention, 28, 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-007-0080-1.
Cooley, J. L., Fite, P. J., & Pederson, C. A. (2018). Bidirectional associations between peer victimization and functions of aggression in middle childhood: Further evaluation across academic years and informants. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46, 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0283-8.
Craig, J. T., Gregus, S. J., Burton, A., Hernandez Rodriguez, J., Blue, M., Faith, M. A., et al. (2016). Exploring change processes in school-based mentoring for bullied children. Journal of Primary Prevention, 37, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-015-0412-5.
DeRosier, M. E. (2004). Building relationships and combating bullying: Effectiveness of a school-based social skills group intervention. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 33, 196–201. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3301_18.
DeRosier, M. E., & Marcus, S. R. (2005). Building friendships and combating bullying: Effectiveness of S. S. GRIN at one-year follow-up. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 34, 140–150. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3401_13.
Domitrovich, C. E., Bradshaw, C. P., Greenberg, M. T., Embry, D., Poduska, J. M., & Ialongo, N. S. (2010). Integrated models of school-based prevention: Logic and theory. Psychology in the Schools, 47, 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20452.
Due, P., Holstein, B. E., Lynch, J., Finn, D., Gabhain, S. N., Scheidt, P., …, & The Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Bullying Working Group. (2005). Bullying and symptoms among school-age children: International comparative cross sectional study in 28 countries. European Journal of Public Health, 15, 128–132. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cki105.
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82, 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x.
Edwards, D., Hunt, M. H., Meyers, J., Grogg, K. R., & Jarrett, O. (2005). Acceptability and student outcomes of a violence prevention curriculum. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 26, 401–418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-005-0002-z.
Elledge, L. C., Cavell, T. A., Ogle, N. T., & Newgent, R. A. (2010). School-based mentoring as a selective prevention for bullied children: A preliminary test. Journal of Primary Prevention, 31, 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-010-0215-7.
Espelage, D. L., Low, S., Polanin, J. R., & Brown, E. C. (2015). Clinical trial of Second Step© middle-school program: Impact on aggression & victimization. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 37, 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2014.11.007.
Evans, C., Smokowski, P., Rose, R., Mercado, M., & Marshall, K. (2018). Cumulative bullying experiences, adolescent behavioral and mental health, and academic achievement: An integrative model of perpetration, victimization, and bystander behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28, 2415–2428. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1078-4.
Fite, P. J., & Pederson, C. A. (2018). Developmental trajectories of relational aggression. In S. M. Coyne & J. M. Ostroy (Eds.), The development of relational aggression (pp. 49–60). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Fite, P. J., Cooley, J. L., Poquiz, J., & Williford, A. (2019). Pilot evaluation of a targeted intervention for peer-victimized youth. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 75, 46–65. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcol.22697.
Fite, P. J., Williford, A., Cooley, J. L., DePaolis, K., Rubens, S. L., & Vernberg, E. M. (2013). Patterns of victimization locations in elementary school children: Effects of grade level and gender. Child & Youth Care Forum, 42, 585–597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-013-9219-9.
Flanagan, K. S., & Battaglia, K. B. (2010). Selecting group interventions for children who exhibit significant involvement in bullying. In E. Verberg & B. Biggs (Eds.), Preventing and treating bullying and victimization (pp. 187–214). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Fox, C., & Boulton, M. (2003). Evaluating the effectiveness of a social skills training (SST) programme for victims of bullying. Educational Research, 45, 231–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013188032000137238.
Frey, K. S., Hirschstein, M. K., & Guzzo, B. A. (2000). Second step: Preventing aggression by promoting social competence. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8, 102–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/106342660000800206.
Fung, A. L. (2012). Intervention for aggressive victims of school bullying in Hong Kong: A longitudinal mixed-methods study. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 53, 360–367. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2012.00953.x.
Fung, A. L. (2018). Cognitive-behavioral group therapy for pure victims with internalizing problems: An evidence-based one-year longitudinal study. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 13, 691–708. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9553-4.
Gini, G., & Espelage, D. L. (2014). Peer victimization, cyberbullying, and suicide risk in children and adolescents. JAMA Pediatrics, 168, 442–445. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4143.
Gregus, S. J., Craig, J. T., Hernandez Rodriguez, J., Pastrana, F. A., & Cavell, T. A. (2015). Lunch Buddy mentoring for children victimized by peers: Two pilot studies. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 31, 167–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2015.1025172.
Grossman, D. C., Neckerman, H. J., Koepsell, T. D., Liu, P., Asher, K. N., Beland, K., et al. (1997). Effectiveness of a violence prevention curriculum among children in elementary school: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1605–1611. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1997.03540440039030.
Hahn, R., Fuqua-Whitley, D., Wethington, H., Lowy, J., Crosby, A., Fullilove, M., & Dahlberg, L. (2007). Effectiveness of universal school-based programs to prevent violent and aggressive behavior: A systematic review. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 33, 114–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.012.
Hollon, S. D., Stewart, M. O., & Strunk, D. (2006). Enduring effects for cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of depression and anxiety. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 285–315. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190044.
Hong, J. S., & Espelage, D. L. (2012). A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school: A ecological system analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 17, 311–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.03.003.
Jiménez-Barbero, J. A., Ruiz-Hernández, J. A., Llor-Zaragoza, L., Pérez-García, M., & Llor-Esteban, B. (2016). Effectiveness of anti-bullying school programs: A meta-analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 61, 165–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.12.015.
Juvonen, J., & Graham, S. (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.
Kaminski, J., & Claussen, A. (2017). Evidence base update for psychosocial treatments for disruptive behaviors in children. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 46, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1310044.
Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., & Wardrop, J. L. (2001). Chronicity and instability of children’s peer victimization experiences as predictors of loneliness and social satisfaction trajectories. Child Development, 72, 134–151. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00270.
Ladd, G. W., Ettekal, I., & Kochenderfer-Ladd, B. (2017). Peer victimization trajectories from kindergarten through high school: Differential pathways for children’s school engagement and achievement? Journal of Educational Psychology, 109, 826–841. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000177.
La Greca, A. M., Ehrenreich-May, J., Mufson, L., & Chan, S. (2016). Preventing adolescent social anxiety and depression and reducting peer victimization: Intervention development and open trial. Child & Youth Care Forum, 45, 905–926. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-016-9363-0.
Lereya, S. T., Samara, M., & Wolke, D. (2013). Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: A meta-analysis. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37, 1091–1108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.001.
Lochman, J. E., & Wells, K. C. (2002). The coping power program at the middle-school transition: Universal and indicated prevention effects. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16, 40–54. https://doi.org/10.1037//0893-164x.16.4s.s40.
Lochman, J. E., & Wells, K. C. (2003). Effectiveness of the coping power program and of classroom intervention with aggressive children: Outcomes at a 1-year follow-up. Behavior Therapy, 34, 493–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7894(03)80032-1.
Lochman, J. E., Wells, K. C., & Lenhart, L. A. (2008). Coping power: Child group program. Facilitator guide. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Mahady Wilton, M. M., Craig, W. M., & Pepler, D. J. (2000). Emotional regulations and display in classroom victims of bullying: characteristic expressions of affect, coping styles and relevant contextual factors. Social Development, 9, 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9507.00121.
Malloy, L. E., Moore, J. E., Trail, J., Van Epps, J. J., & Hopfer, S. (2013). Understanding real-world implementation quality and “active ingredients” of PBIS. Prevention Science, 14, 593–605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-012-0343-9.
Marini, Z. A., Dane, A. V., Bosacki, S. L., & Ylc, C. (2006). Direct and indirect bully-victims: Differential psychosocial risk factors associated with adolescents involved in bullying and victimization. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 551–569. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145105.
Mattick, R. P., Peters, L., & Clarke, J. C. (1989). Exposure and cognitive restructuring for social phobia: A controlled study. Behavior Therapy, 20, 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0005-7894(89)80115-7.
McDougall, P., & Vaillancourt, T. (2015). Long-term adult outcomes of peer victimization in childhood and adolescence: Pathways to adjustment and maladjustment. American Psychologist, 70, 300–310. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039174.
McCart, M. R., & Sheidow, A. J. (2016). Evidence-based psychosocial treatments for adolescents with disruptive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 45, 529–563. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2016.1146990.
Menesini, E., & Salmivalli, C. (2017). Bullying in schools: The state of knowledge and effective interventions. Psychology, Health, & Medicine, 22, 240–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2017.1279740.
Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094–2100. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.16.2094.
Ostrov, J. M., Blakely-McClure, S. J., Perry, K. J., & Kamper-DeMarco, K. E. (2018). Definitions—the form and function of relational aggression. In S. M. Coyne & J. M. Ostroy (Eds.), The development of relational aggression (pp. 13–28). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Perren, S., Ettekal, I., & Ladd, G. (2013). The impact of peer victimization on later maladjustment: Mediating and moderating effects of hostile and self-blaming attributions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51, 46–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02618.x.
Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., Boelen, P. A., van der Schoot, M., & Telch, M. J. (2011). Prospective linkages between peer victimization and externalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 37, 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20374.
Reijntjes, A., Kamphuis, J. H., Prinzie, P., & Telch, M. J. (2010). Peer victimization and internalizing problems in children: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 244–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.07.009.
Rivers, I., & Noret, N. (2013). Potential suicide ideation and its association with observing bullying at school. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53, 32–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.10.279.
Rivers, I., Poteat, V. P., Noret, N., & Ashurst, N. (2009). Observing bullying at school: The mental health implications of witness status. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 211–223. https://doi.org/10.1037/10018164.
Salmivalli, C., & Poskiparta, E. (2012). KiVa antibullying program: Overview of evaluation studies based on a randomized controlled trial and national rollout in Finland. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 6, 294–302. https://doi.org/10.4119/unibi/ijcv.247.
Schacter, H. L., White, S. J., Chang, V. Y., & Juvonen, J. (2014). “Why me?”: Characterological self-blame and continued victimization in the first year of middle school. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 44, 446–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2013.865194.
Sugai, G., & Horner, R. R. (2006). A promising approach for expanding and sustaining school-wide positive behavior support. School Psychology Review, 35, 245–259.
Tremblay, R. E. (2000). The development of aggressive behavior during childhood: What we have learned in the past century? International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24, 12–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/016502500383232.
Veenstra, R., Lindenberg, S., Oldehinkel, A. J., De Winter, A. F., Verhulst, F. C., & Ormel, J. (2005). Bullying and victimization in elementary schools: A comparison of bullies, victims, bully/victims, and uninvolved preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 41, 672–682. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.40.6.1159.
Vernberg, E. M., & Biggs, B. K. (Eds.). (2010). Preventing and treating bullying and victimization. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Vernberg, E. M., Nelson, T. D., Fonagy, P., & Twemlow, S. W. (2011). Victimization, aggression, and visits to the school nurse for somatic complaints, illnesses, and physical injuries. Pediatrics, 127, 842–848. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-3415.
Williford, A., Fite, P. J., DePaolis, K., & Cooley, J. L. (2018). The roles of gender, forms and locations in understanding peer victimization experiences: Implications for prevention and intervention. Children and Schools, 40, 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdy004.
Wilson, S. J., & Lipsey, M. W. (2007). School-based interventions for aggressive and disruptive behavior: Update of a meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 33, 130–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.04.011.
Zonnevylle-Bender, M. J. S., Matthys, W., Van De Wiel, N. M. H., & Lochman, J. E. (2007). Preventive effects of treatment of disruptive behavior disorder in middle childhood on substance use and delinquent behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.54.9.755.
Recommended Resources
Websites
CDC’s site: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/bullyingresearch/.
Government site: www.stopbullying.gov.
Books
Bradshaw, C. P. (2017). Handbook on bullying prevention: A life course perspective. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.
Coyne, S. M., & Ostrov, J. M. (2018). The development of relational aggression. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Kowalski, R. M., Limber, S. P., & Agatston, P. W. (2011). Cyberbullying: Bullying in the digital age. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fite, P.J., Cooley, J.L., Williford, A. (2020). Components of Evidence-Based Interventions for Bullying and Peer Victimization. In: Steele, R.G., Roberts, M.C. (eds) Handbook of Evidence-Based Therapies for Children and Adolescents. Issues in Clinical Child Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44226-2_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44226-2_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-44225-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-44226-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)