08. Health and Wellbeing Education
Paper
An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on the Association of School Bullying with Symptoms and Diagnosis of PTSD
Serap Keles1, Salman Türken2, Thormod Idsøe3, Terri Pigott4
1University of Stavanger, Norway; 2Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway; 3University of Oslo, Norway; 4Georgia State University, USA
Presenting Author: Keles, Serap
Bullying can be defined as a specific form of aggressive behavior exhibited by an individual or a group towards another person, characterized by a perceived or observed power imbalance and persistence over time (Hellström, Thornberg & Espelage, 2021). Cyberbullying, as consensus suggests, refers to bullying occurring through online platforms or mobile devices (Campbell & Bauman, 2018), and we will adhere to this interpretation. Research indicates that exposure to bullying significantly contributes to children's mental health issues independent of other factors (Arsenault, 2018; Arseneault et al., 2010). Even though bullying is not satisfying the A-criterion, symptoms following exposure align with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (APA, 2013). Among the symptom groups highlighted in the DSM-5, the re-experience of the traumatic event, persistent avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, and ongoing symptoms of heightened arousal are often emphasized.
While evidence linking school bullying directly to causing PTSD is limited (Nielsen et al., 2015), a clear association between bullying and PTSD symptoms has been established. To further comprehend the relationship between school bullying and PTSD symptoms and/or diagnosis, our current systematic review and meta-analysis aim to investigate the extent of this association. This study serves as an update to the meta-analysis conducted by Nielsen et al. (2015), with specific modifications. Unlike Nielsen et al.'s study, our focus is solely on school bullying concerning the diagnosis of PTSD and/or PTSD symptoms. Additionally, we conducted a more comprehensive and systematic search of published peer-reviewed studies, without any time constraints.
Our primary research questions are as follows:
a) What is the degree of association between school bullying and PTSD symptoms among children and youth in primary and secondary schools?
b) Does the diagnosis of PTSD apply to the health consequences observed among individuals targeted by school bullying?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedIn order to answer our research questions, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, employing a meticulously designed review protocol registered in the Open Science Framework prior to commencing the review. First, a priori inclusion /exclusion criteria were determined as follows: Studies need to: a) be empirical original study with a quantitative design, b) focus on the association of bullying at school with the diagnosis of PTSD, and/or symptoms of PTSD, c) include validated questionnaires to assess posttraumatic stress, d) have a sample of students in primary or secondary education, e) report uncorrected bivariate correlations (or other statistical estimates that can be transformed to bivariate correlations) between school bullying and symptoms of PTSD, f) written in English, and g) published in a peer-reviewed journal. Hence, the studies were excluded based on: a) topic (i.e., a lack of a focus on the association of school bullying with symptoms pf PTSD and/or diagnosis of PTSD); b) target group (i.e., a different target group such as higher education students); c) outcome (i.e., non-validated measure of PTSD); d) study type (i.e., theoretical, and conceptual articles or other papers not reporting primary empirical quantitative research); e) language (i.e., not written in English), and f) insufficient information (i.e., information required to compute an effect size is either unavailable in the full-text or via direct requests from the corresponding author).
Then a comprehensive literature search was carried out in seven databases: Academic Search Ultimate, ERIC, ISI Web of Science, Medline, ProQuest, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS. The identified studies were screened for their eligibility in a two-stage independent double screening process (i.e., screening on title and abstract and screening on full-text) using EPPI software. Detailed data were extracted for the eligible studies and authors who did not provide necessary information to calculate effect sizes and/or information on potential moderators were also contacted via email. Study quality was assessed using the AXIS tool (Downes, Brennan, Williams, & Dean, 2016).
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThrough the comprehensive literature search, 2953 studies were identified and after the removal of duplicates, 906 studies were screened independently by two authors. After the two-stage abstract and full text screening, 38 studies were selected as eligible in line with the a priori defined inclusion criteria. Preliminary descriptive analyses showed that there were 15 studies conducted before 2015 (range 2000-2014), while there were 23 studies conducted in and after 2015 (range 2015-2023), showing an increase in the number of studies examining the association between school bullying and symptoms of PTSD. There is one study which also established the diagnosis of PTSD as a consequence of bullying. Studies were coming from more than 20 countries, and mainly from USA (7 studies), China (5 studies), South Africa (3 studies), and Italy (3 studies). Majority of the studies (35 studies) employed a cross-sectional design, while there were only three studies with longitudinal design. While six studies had samples of students in primary school, 25 had in secondary schools, and three had both in primary and secondary schools. Educational level was not reported in the four remaining studies.
Currently, we are in the process of data synthesis using a correlated and hierarchical effect size model with robust variance estimation (Pustejovsky & Tipton, 2021) using the programs metafor (Viechtbauer, 2010) and clubSandwich (Pustejovsky, 2019) in R. The presentation will focus on our findings of overall effect sizes estimated separately for each symptom of PTSD and bullying as well as total PTSD symptom score and bullying. We will also present the moderator analyses. We anticipate that our results will contribute to the development of interventions against bullying and trauma-specific treatment procedures following instances of bullying. These insights can be utilized to mitigate the potential traumatic consequences of systematic and persistent harm caused by bullying.
ReferencesAPA. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Association.
Arseneault, L. (2018). Annual research review: the persistent and pervasive impact of being bullied in childhood and adolescence: implications for policy and practice. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(4), 405-421. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12841
Arseneault, L., Bowes, L., & Shakoor, S. (2010). Bullying victimization in youths and mental health problems: ‘Much ado about nothing’?. Psychological Medicine, 40(5), 717-729. doi:10.1017/S0033291709991383
Campbell, M., & Bauman, S. (2018). Cyberbullying: definition, consequences, prevalence. In M. A., Campbell, & S., Bauman (Eds.), Reducing Cyberbullying in Schools: International Evidence-based Best Practices (pp. 3-16). Elsevier.
Hellström, L., Thornberg, R., & Espelage, D. L. (2021). Definitions of bullying. In P. K. Smith & J. O’Higgins Norman (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Bullying (Vol. 1, pp. 4-21). Wiley-Blackwell.
Downes, M. J., Brennan, M. L., Williams, H. C., & Dean, R. S. (2016). Development of a critical appraisal tool to assess the quality of cross-sectional studies (AXIS). BMJ Open, 6(12). http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011458
Nielsen, M. B., Tangen, T., Idsoe, T., Matthiesen, S. B., & Magerøy, N. (2015). Post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence of bullying at work and at school. A literature review and meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 21, 17-24.
Pustejovsky, J. (2019). clubSandwich (0.3.3) [Computer software]. https://cran.r-project.org/package=clubSandwich
Pustejovsky, J. E., & Tipton, E. (2021). Meta-analysis with Robust Variance Estimation: Expanding the Range of Working Models. Prevention Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01246-3
Viechtbauer, W. (2010). Conducting Meta-Analyses in R with the metafor Package. Journal of Statistical Software, 36(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v036.i03
08. Health and Wellbeing Education
Paper
User Cyberbullying: A framework to deal with Cyberbullying among Swedish primary school pupils
Davoud Masoumi, Maryam Bourbour, Silvia Edling
University of Gävle, Sweden
Presenting Author: Masoumi, Davoud;
Bourbour, Maryam
While there is a substantial body of research on cyberbullying in schools, that focuses on if and how cyberbullying and harassment can affect children’s and adolescents’ health and wellbeing, little is known about how school staff identify and deal with cyberbullying among boys and girls. In order to gain deeper insight about this challenging issue, the current study aims to examine how school staff identify the phenomenon of cyberbullying among gender groups (girls and boys) and which strategies they enact to prevent and deal with occurrences of cyberbullying among primary school pupils?
Cyberbullying is a complex phenomenon that takes place within a social ecology involving a wide range of factors: individual, family, societal, and school factors (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).The present study, accordingly, is informed by Bronfenbrenner (1979) social ecological model. The model is used as a conceptual framework to address how various factors, in different layers, inform and shape school strategies and interventions in preventing and dealing with cyberbullying among pupils.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThis study is a part of a broader collaborative initiative between the municipal authorities and the university of Gävle. Twenty-four (24) semi-structured interviews were conducted with school staff, including school principals, assistant principals, teachers, a librarian, and a janitor. The empirical data was recorded and subsequently transcribed in full detail. The transcribed data was then subjected to thematic analysis, using the iterative phases of the constant comparison technique to unveil key components and insights from the transcribed data (Morgan & Nica, 2020). An ecological model of cyberbullying, coupled with a critical analysis of interviews, was then used to delve into how school staff approach the phenomenon of cyberbullying and ways in which they seek to prevent and deal with cyberbullying.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsThe findings indicate that cyberbullying a phenomenon that predominantly occurs outside of school but which, nevertheless, impacts educational activities and practices. Moreover, the results suggest a higher prevalence of cyberbullying behaviour among girls. The study identifies seven anti-cyberbullying strategies employed by school staff to intervene in, prevent and deal with cyberbullying among primary pupils. These anti-cyberbullying strategies encompass conducting bi-annual anti-bullying surveys, establishing and collaborating with School Safety Teams, fostering continuous close relationships with pupils, building team unity and creating a team atmosphere among pupils, working with parents to counteract cyberbullying, developing school staff competence regarding cyberbullying, and Co-operating with the School Health Teams. The study has provided additional insights into the unique socio-ecological context in which cyberbullying takes place, characterized by a "twenty-four-seven" availability. Furthermore, the implications of identifying cyberbullying and addressing initiatives related to this form of bullying in schools were discussed.
ReferencesAzumah, S. W., Elsayed, N., ElSayed, Z., & Ozer, M. (2023). Cyberbullying in text content detection: an analytical review. International Journal of Computers and Applications, 1-8. doi:10.1080/1206212X.2023.2256048
Brailovskaia, J., Diez, S. L., & Margraf, J. (2023). Relationship Between Cyberbullying, Positive Mental Health, Stress Symptoms and Teachers' Cybercompetence. Journal of School Violence, 22(4), 569-580. doi:10.1080/15388220.2023.2249824
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development : Experiments by nature and design: Harvard University Press.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In T. H. T. N. Postlethwaite (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of education (Vol. Vol. 3, 2nd ed, pp. 1643–1647)): Elsevier.
Dorio, N. B., Clark, K. N., Demaray, M. K., & Doll, E. M. (2020). School Climate Counts: A Longitudinal Analysis of School Climate and Middle School Bullying Behaviors. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2(4), 292-308. doi:10.1007/s42380-019-00038-2
Edling, S., Gill, P. E., Francia, G., Matton, P., & Simonsson, B.-E. (2022). Motverka mobbning: och annan kränkande behandling - en handbok för lärare: Studentlitteratur AB.
Erikson, J., Håkansson, S., & Josefsson, C. (2023). Three Dimensions of Gendered Online Abuse: Analyzing Swedish MPs’ Experiences of Social Media. Perspectives on Politics, 21(3), 896-912. doi:10.1017/S1537592721002048
Smith, P. K. (2012). Cyberbullying and cyber aggression. Handbook of school violence and school safety: International research and practice, 2, 93-103.
Thornberg, R. (2018). School bullying and fitting into the peer landscape: a grounded theory field study. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 39(1), 144-158. doi:10.1080/01425692.2017.1330680
Azumah, S. W., Elsayed, N., ElSayed, Z., & Ozer, M. (2023). Cyberbullying in text content detection: an analytical review. International Journal of Computers and Applications, 1-8. doi:10.1080/1206212X.2023.2256048
Beckman, L., & Hagquist, C. (2016). Views of Bullying and Antibullying Working Styles Among School Nurses and School Social Workers in Sweden. Journal of School Violence, 15(4), 438-459. doi:10.1080/15388220.2015.1084234
Bjereld, Y., Augustine, L., & Thornberg, R. (2020). Measuring the prevalence of peer bullying victimization: Review of studies from Sweden during 1993–2017. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 105528. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105528
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development : Experiments by nature and design: Harvard University Press.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. In T. H. T. N. Postlethwaite (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of education (Vol. Vol. 3, 2nd ed, pp. 1643–1647)): Elsevier.
Edling, S., Gill, P. E., Francia, G., Matton, P., & Simonsson, B.-E. (2022). Motverka mobbning: och annan kränkande behandling - en handbok för lärare: Studentlitteratur AB
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