Updated Perspectives on Linking School Bullying and Related Youth Violence Research to Effective Prevention Strategies

Abstract

Bullying among school-age children continues to be a public health concern and is associated with a host of short- and long-term psychosocial and academic challenges for all youth involved, including youth who are victimized, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. In this chapter, we provide current prevalence rates for bullying involvement and situate the etiology of bullying within the social-ecological lens, where involvement is related to a range of risk and protective factors. We highlight youth who are most vulnerable to involvement in bullying, especially those youth within marginalized social identity groups. Recent meta-analytic studies are summarized to illustrate components of successful prevention programs to reduce bullying and cyberbullying. Illustrative prevention programs are presented to demonstrate programs at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels in intervention. Further, we highlight several innovative, technology-based approaches to bullying prevention and emphasize the importance of tracking implementation fidelity to ensure lasting intervention effects.