Effects and moderators of the Olweus bullying prevention program (OBPP) in Germany

Abstract

Bullying is a common and significant risk factor for mental and physical health problems. The aim of the outlined study was to evaluate the German version of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) and to investigate potential moderators of its effectiveness. 23 schools started with the implementation and all students were invited to complete the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire annually. For our analyses, the data from grades 5 to 9 were used (t0: n = 5759; t1: n = 5416; t2: n = 4894). 16 out of the 23 schools completed the 18-months implementation period. The effectiveness of the program statistically depended on its complete implementation (χ2(2) = 7.62, p = 0.022). In the group of non-completers, the prevalence of victimization did not change during the observation period of 2 years (χ2(2) = 4.64, p = 0.099). In the group of the completer schools, a significant decrease in bullying between t0 and t1 was found for victims (t0: 9.14%; t1: 6.87%; OR = 0.74; 95% CI 0.62–0.88; p = 0.001) and perpetrators (t0: 6.16%; t1: 4.42%; OR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.55–0.89; p = 0.004). After 24 months (t2), this decrease could be retained (victims: t2: 6.83%; OR = 0.73; 95%CI = 0.61–0.88; p = 0.001; perpetrators: t2: 4.63%; OR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.57–0.92; p = 0.009). Furthermore, we found the following moderators of program effectiveness in the completer schools: (1) gender (with a stronger decrease among victimized girls; p = 0.004) and (2) school grade (with a stronger decrease of victimization among grades 5–7; p = 0.028). The German version of the OBPP significantly reduced the bullying prevalence in the completer schools. Effective prevention needs time and resources: fulfilling the 18-months implementation period was the basis for positive results.

Under the skin: does psychiatric outcome of bullying victimization in school persist over time? A prospective intervention study

“…But even after termination of experienced bullying victimization during a bullying prevention program, individuals lacked full recovery from mental health problems and presented with ongoing reduction of quality of life. Interestingly, we did not observe a decline in psychopathology despite successful implementation of bullying prevention (Ossa et al, 2020). While bullying declined from 8.00% to 5.11% within two years, the observed level of emotional problems, total difficulties, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidality remained relatively stable.…”

“…For details about the recruitment procedure and the program components, we refer to Ossa et al. (2020).…”

“…The implementation of the program took about 18 months, and annual student surveys for the duration of 24 months were part of the program. For details about the recruitment procedure and the program components, we refer to Ossa et al (2020).…”

Understanding for Which Students and Classes a Socio-Ecological Aggression Prevention Program Works Best: Testing Individual Student and Class Level Moderators

“…For instance, the effects of an intervention on child-reported proactive aggression were shown to differ as a function of participants' gender, with stronger effects for boys (Stoltz et al, 2013; see also Kennedy, 2020). Other studies evaluating the effectiveness of aggression interventions reported that girls profited more (e.g., Ossa et al, 2020), while still others did not find gender to be a statistically significant moderator (see e.g., Hendriks et al, 2018). Testing for potential moderating effects of gender, as a key socio-demographic characteristic, is always relevant, as it clarifies whether the same program is equally adaptive for all participants irrespective of gender; however, the mixed current body of research makes it difficult to derive clear predictions about the role of gender for the current aggression prevention program's functioning.…”

Adolescent suicide: an individual disaster, but a systemic failure

“…In addition, school-based prevention, which has shown to be an effective method of suicide prevention (e.g., [33]), may set a stronger focus on school climate and peer relationships. As an example, reduction of bullying via so-called whole school approaches (e.g., [21]) may also reduce suicide risk in adolescents.…”