A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs on students

Bullying in schools is a serious and pervasive psychological problem that affects more than 16 percent of United States school children (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2001). Although efforts to decrease school bullying have resulted in a large number of available anti-bullying programs, studies on the identification of effective anti-bullying programs are limited. Due to the high prevalence of bullying, there is a dire need to evaluate such efforts in preventing and reducing bullying behavior.;The purpose of this study was to evaluate anti-bullying program outcome results through meta-analysis and content analysis. The specific focus of the study was to systematically review the literature on the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs, establish empirically validated components of effective anti-bullying programs, and provide evidence based recommendations for the development of effective anti-bullying interventions. The identification of effective components was based on meta-analytic evaluation of two primary research questions: (1) Is there a significant impact of anti-bullying interventions observed based on a synthesis of available outcome studies; and (2) Can effective programs and non-effective programs be distinguisehed by effective components?;Across all studies, there was a significant impact of anti-bullying interventions. Overall, the anti-bullying programs investigated showed 57% positive treatment effects on frequency of bullying and victimization, personal responses to bullying incidents, general attitudes, and growth for victims with a moderate positive net effect size of 0.67. In addition, effective anti-bullying programs and non-effective anti-bullying programs cannot be distinguished by their program components based on many similarities and overlapping program components.;In conclusion, rigorous methodological efforts are needed to identify factors and conditions that influence variably in program success and effectiveness. Empirically validated components of anti-bullying programs can improve the quality of programs and aid in the reduction and prevention of school bullying.