Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students
Bullying is a widespread public health problem with significant behavioral and mental health consequences. The current study tested the effectiveness of combining interactive digital material for students, educators, and parents with class sessions to prevent bullying among middle school students. F...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Adolescents |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/3/1/9 |
| _version_ | 1797614126575386624 |
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| author | Christopher Williams Kenneth W. Griffin Caroline M. Botvin Sandra Sousa Gilbert J. Botvin |
| author_facet | Christopher Williams Kenneth W. Griffin Caroline M. Botvin Sandra Sousa Gilbert J. Botvin |
| author_sort | Christopher Williams |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bullying is a widespread public health problem with significant behavioral and mental health consequences. The current study tested the effectiveness of combining interactive digital material for students, educators, and parents with class sessions to prevent bullying among middle school students. Fourteen middle schools were randomly assigned to intervention and comparison conditions. Both conditions received a classroom-based drug and violence prevention program that taught social skills, self-management skills, and social resistance skills. The intervention condition included class material on bullying and an educational video game for students that reinforced the classroom program; it also included digital material on bullying for parents and school staff. All students completed online pre- and post-test surveys to assess bullying-related behavior, knowledge, and life skills. Results indicated that students in the intervention schools reported significantly less bullying and cyberbullying perpetration and increased life skills knowledge relative to comparison schools. This study provides evidence that a school-based drug abuse and violence prevention program, when enhanced with a set of digital tools for students, parents, and school staff, holds considerable potential for addressing bullying among middle school adolescents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:05:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-468463d4433743119ca3bd9ce95c923c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-7051 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:05:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Adolescents |
| spelling | doaj.art-468463d4433743119ca3bd9ce95c923c2023-11-17T08:57:42ZengMDPI AGAdolescents2673-70512023-01-013111013010.3390/adolescents3010009Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School StudentsChristopher Williams0Kenneth W. Griffin1Caroline M. Botvin2Sandra Sousa3Gilbert J. Botvin4National Health Promotion Associates, White Plains, NY 10604, USADepartment of Global and Community Health, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USANational Health Promotion Associates, White Plains, NY 10604, USANational Health Promotion Associates, White Plains, NY 10604, USANational Health Promotion Associates, White Plains, NY 10604, USABullying is a widespread public health problem with significant behavioral and mental health consequences. The current study tested the effectiveness of combining interactive digital material for students, educators, and parents with class sessions to prevent bullying among middle school students. Fourteen middle schools were randomly assigned to intervention and comparison conditions. Both conditions received a classroom-based drug and violence prevention program that taught social skills, self-management skills, and social resistance skills. The intervention condition included class material on bullying and an educational video game for students that reinforced the classroom program; it also included digital material on bullying for parents and school staff. All students completed online pre- and post-test surveys to assess bullying-related behavior, knowledge, and life skills. Results indicated that students in the intervention schools reported significantly less bullying and cyberbullying perpetration and increased life skills knowledge relative to comparison schools. This study provides evidence that a school-based drug abuse and violence prevention program, when enhanced with a set of digital tools for students, parents, and school staff, holds considerable potential for addressing bullying among middle school adolescents.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/3/1/9life skillscyberbullyingaggressioneducational video gameschool basedadolescents |
| spellingShingle | Christopher Williams Kenneth W. Griffin Caroline M. Botvin Sandra Sousa Gilbert J. Botvin Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students Adolescents life skills cyberbullying aggression educational video game school based adolescents |
| title | Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students |
| title_full | Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students |
| title_fullStr | Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students |
| title_short | Effectiveness of Digital Health Tools to Prevent Bullying among Middle School Students |
| title_sort | effectiveness of digital health tools to prevent bullying among middle school students |
| topic | life skills cyberbullying aggression educational video game school based adolescents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7051/3/1/9 |
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