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. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Subiaco, Western Australia.|School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, Western Australia.
Donna
D
Cross
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Subiaco, Western Australia.
Thérèse
T
Shaw
School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, Western Australia.
Kate
K
Hadwen
School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, Western Australia.
Patricia
P
Cardoso
School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia.
Phillip
P
Slee
School of Psychology and Speech Therapy, Curtin University of Technology, Bentley, Western Australia.
Clare
C
Roberts
School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, Western Australia.
Laura
L
Thomas
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Subiaco, Western Australia.
Amy
A
Barnes
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D058445:Bullying / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019548:Crime Victims; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012572:School Health Services; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D014904:Western Australia
adolescence; cyber aggression; cyberbullying intervention; cyberbullying perpetration; cyberbullying victimization; student leaders; whole-school program trial