Research Review: Do antibullying interventions reduce internalizing symptoms? A systematic review, meta‐analysis, and meta‐regression exploring intervention components, moderators, and mechanisms

Abstract

Background: Effective antibullying interventions may reduce the impact of bullying on young people's mental health. Nevertheless, little is known about their effectiveness in reducing internalizing symptoms such as anxiety or depression, and what factors may influence intervention effects. The aim of this systematic review, meta-analysis, and metaregression is to assess the effects of school-based antibullying interventions on children's and adolescent's internalizing symptoms. The secondary aims are to explore potential moderators, intervention components, and reductions in bullying as mediators of intervention effects on internalizing symptoms. Methods: We searched nine databases: PsycINFO, Web of Science, ERIC, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Medline, Embase, ProQuest, and Cochrane Library, and performed an author search of included studies in English from January 1983 to April 2021. We included studies that evaluated school-based antibullying interventions using controlled designs and reporting on both bullying and internalizing outcomes. Random-effects and metaregression models were used to derive Hedges g values with pooled 95% CIs as estimates of effect size and to test associations between moderator variables and effect size estimates. Path analysis was used to test potential mediation using effect size measures of victimization, perpetration, and internalizing outcomes. Quality and risk of bias were assessed using Cochrane collaboration tools. Results: This review included 22 studies with 58,091 participants in the meta-analysis. Antibullying interventions had a very small effect in reducing overall internalizing symptoms (ES, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.0284 to 0.1005), anxiety (ES, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.011 to 0.158), and depression (ES, 0.06; 95% CI, 0.014 to 0.107) at postintervention. The reduction in internalizing symptoms did not vary significantly across geographic location, grade level, program duration, and intensity. The intervention component 'working with peers' was associated with a significant reduction, and 'using CBT techniques' was associated with a significant increase in internalizing outcomes. Bullying victimization and perpetration did not mediate the relationship between intervention condition and internalizing outcomes. Conclusions: Antibullying interventions have a small impact on reducing internalizing symptoms. Ongoing development of antibullying interventions should address how best to maximize their impact on internalizing symptoms to safeguard young people from the damaging mental health outcomes of bullying.

Bullying and victimization in schools: Causal relationship between adolescent disruptive behavior, sleep schedules, and extended school hours

“…The progress of the phase (i.e., more eveningness) explained the relationship between adjustments of biological sleep patterns and the aggressor behavior associated with emotional dysregulation (Hagenauer et al, 2009; Hasan et al, 2022; Kubiszewski et al, 2014). On the one hand, these data are in line with the previous literature that confirms a uniformity of the behavior of bullies‐victims adolescents with sleep problems in various geographies and cultures (Arhin et al, 2019; Figueiredo et al, 2018; Guzman‐Holst et al, 2022; Hasan et al, 2022; Matsumoto et al, 2022; Wang et al, 2020); on the other hand, data indicated a different behavioral trend in gender.…”

“…The analysis of the consequences is the main focus of research of aggressive bullying/cyberbullying behaviors, but the causes also need to be determined to further intervene with concrete effects on anti-bullying (Guzman-Holst et al, 2022). One of the interventions concerns the identification of sleep quality problems and the chronotype of the subjects.…”

“…Usually, cyberbullying behavior is the most rapidly disseminated (and the effect of cyberbullying has greater repercussion in time), which is the cause of greater suffering in victims. The analysis of the consequences is the main focus of research of aggressive bullying/cyberbullying behaviors, but the causes also need to be determined to further intervene with concrete effects on anti‐bullying (Guzman‐Holst et al, 2022). One of the interventions concerns the identification of sleep quality problems and the chronotype of the subjects.…”

Current evidence and opportunities in child and adolescent public mental health: a research review

“…These interventions may have a range of goals, for example, to reduce peer victimisation and bullying or to build feelings of school belonging. The mental health impacts of anti‐bullying interventions have been examined in a number of recent systematic reviews, most notably those led by Guzman‐Holst, Zaneva, Chessell, Creswell, and Bowes (2022) and Fraguas et al. (2021), both of which concluded that the small positive effects observed are likely to translate into meaningful population benefits.…”

The impact of bullying in childhood and adolescence

“…A systematic review and meta-analysis including 22 studies (58 091 participants) showed that antibullying interventions had a very small effect in decreasing overall internalizing symptoms, anxiety and depression [22]. The use of CBT 'was significantly associated with smaller effects on internalizing symptoms' compared with when CBT elements were not utilized [22].…”