Evaluation of an intervention program for anxious adolescent boys who are bullied at school.
OBJECTIVE
This study tested the efficacy of an intervention for anxious adolescent boys experiencing bullying at school. The cognitive-behavioral intervention focused on targeting individual factors that appear to increase an adolescent's vulnerability to bullying experiences such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and use of maladaptive coping strategies.


METHODS
Adolescent boys reporting anxiety symptoms and the recent experience of being bullied at school (grades 7-10) were randomly assigned by group to intervention (n = 22) or wait-list (n = 24) conditions. Depressive and anxiety symptoms and bullying experiences were measured before and after the intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up for the intervention condition.


RESULTS
The intervention was effective in significantly reducing adolescent's bullying experiences as well as their anxiety, depression, and the degree of distress associated with being bullied. Intervention gains were maintained at the 3-month follow-up. The intervention was not effective in enhancing adolescent's self-esteem or changing aggressive or avoidant responses to bullying situations.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides preliminary support for the value of individually focused interventions for boys in the effort to reduce the incidence of bullying within schools.
Berry
Kathryn
K
School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Hunt
Caroline J
CJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D016896:Treatment Outcome