Effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program with and without the Online Game in Chile: a Three-Arm Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of the KiVa anti-bullying program in the Czech Republic: A cluster randomized control trial

AIMS

One of the most widely used evidence-based anti-bullying programs, KiVa, originates from Finland and aims to change students' peer context, activate teachers, and inform parents with two main components (universal preventive actions and indicated actions when bullying occurs), complemented by monitoring. Because research documented somewhat varied KiVa outcomes in different countries and because there is a lack of research focusing solely on the effectiveness of the universal and indicated actions, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of KiVa main components when implemented in a new country. This two-arm parallel cluster randomized control trial (RCT) evaluated the effectiveness of the KiVa anti-bullying program in elementary schools in the Czech Republic. It examined the effects of the universal and indicated actions on self-reported bullying and victimization as primary outcomes and well-being as a secondary outcome, while keeping monitoring constant across the intervention and control schools. The study also examined the role of implementation fidelity on the proposed outcomes.

METHODS

Schools were allocated via stratified randomization into a KiVa intervention group (12 schools, 35 classes, N = 407 students) or a wait-list control group (12 schools, 32 classes, N = 400 students). The study employed data from baseline and post-measurement waves, which were 10 months apart.

RESULTS

The data were analyzed using linear mixed effects models, which showed no significant intervention or fidelity effects for bullying, victimization, and well-being. However, promising trends (at α < .10) were revealed, such as lower levels of bullying observed in the intervention group and in schools with high implementation fidelity. Additional analysis using Bayes factors supported these promising trends and provided moderate support for lower levels of victimization in the intervention group compared to the control schools.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluation of effectiveness of anti-bullying programs could benefit from a more targeted fidelity assessment at the classroom or individual level and from distinguishing between the effects of the main components of the programs and the effects of monitoring. The promising yet non-significant intervention and fidelity effects suggest that schools may require enhanced support and longer implementation time frames than a single school year, especially when implementation faces structural obstacles, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Scoping Review of Assertiveness Therapy for Reducing Bullying Behavior and Its Impacts Among Adolescents

Bullying is a global problem in adolescents which has increased every year. One of the factors in the occurrence of bullying is the ability of interpersonal skills. This ability can build good relationships with assertive between adolescents and can prevent bullying. The purpose of this study is to describe assertiveness therapy for reducing bullying behavior and its impacts among adolescents. The method used in this study is scoping review. The search strategy used is PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews through three databases namely PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus. The authors used inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria in the selection of articles. The major keywords used in the article search were bullying, assertiveness therapy, and adolescents. Data analysis used descriptive qualitative. The results showed that there were 10 articles that discussed assertive therapy. All articles show that assertiveness therapy can reduce bullying behavior and its impact significantly, such as reducing the impact of anxiety and increasing self-esteem. Assertiveness therapy methods carried out in the form of education, games, and role play. Education is carried out online and offline. Educational media is provided directly and through media such as educational videos which can be accessed at any time. Gender and cultural approaches are important aspects in the implementation of assertive therapy. Assertive therapy can improve interpersonal skills, social skills, empathy and assertiveness so that it can reduce bullying behavior and its impacts in adolescents. Then, this data becomes the basis for nurses to carry out assertive therapy as an effort to prevent and reduce bullying behavior in adolescents.

Effectiveness of applied and casual games for young people's mental health: A systematic review of randomised controlled studies

Many youth experience mental health problems and digital games hold potential as mental health interventions. This systematic review provides an overview of randomised controlled studies assessing the effectiveness of digital applied and casual games for improving mental health in youth aged 6-24 years. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Web of Science and Pubmed yielded 145 eligible studies. Studies on (sub)clinical participant samples (n = 75) most often focused on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism and anxiety. Applied games were found most effective for improving social skills, verbal memory and anxiety, whereas casual games were found most effective for improving depression, anxiety and ADHD. Studies involving healthy youth (n = 70) were grouped into papers examining anxiety in medical settings, momentary effects on positive and negative affect, and papers employing a longitudinal design measuring mental health trait outcomes. Promising results were found for the use of games as distraction tools in medical settings, and for applied and casual games for improving momentary affect. Overall, our findings demonstrate the potential of digital games for improving mental health. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed, such as developing evaluation guidelines, clearly defining applied games, harmonising outcome measures, including positive outcomes, and examining nonspecific factors that may influence symptom improvement as well.