Enhancing Protective Processes to Prevent Bullying and Peer Victimization: A Cluster Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of the Wits Programs

Introduction: The WITS and WITS LEADerS Programs aim to create responsive communities that enhance protective processes in elementary schools that are incompatible with bullying and victimization (social responsibility, prosocial leadership, and positive school climate). We examined the effectiveness of an online, open-access adaptation of the WITS Programs designed to facilitate the Programs’ reach and scale-up. Following a theoretical model of change, we hypothesized that adherence to core program components (fidelity) and integration of implementation into daily life (quality) would affect children’s use of the program language, which in turn would lead to increases in these protective factors and reductions in children’s aggression, victimization, and emotional problems.

The goal of this presentation is two-fold: (1) to discuss how WITS Programs were adapted to address the inequities in access to evidence based programs in rural and remote school districts (2) to present findings of a cluster randomized trial conducted in rural Canadian school districts.

Method: Data are from a cluster randomized trial (5-waves across 2.5 years) in provinces. Children (n = 1967; 1027 female), their parents, and teachers were recruited in 2011 from 137 classrooms in 27 predominately rural schools across Canada. Schools were randomly assigned within school districts to program (n = 16, 1329 children) and control conditions (n = 11, 638 children). At Time 1, participants were in grades 1 to 4 (M_age = 8.2 years, SD = 1.30).

Results: Using Structural Equation Modeling, adherence and quality were associated with higher participant responsiveness (R² = 64%). Every one-unit increase in participant responsiveness was associated with a .06 increases in social responsibility, a .07 increase in prosocial leadership, and a .15 increase in school climate. In turn, social responsibility was associated with declines in aggression (β = -.29, p = .001), and victimization (β = -.09, p = .04). Higher prosocial leadership was associated with declines in emotional problems (β = -.25, p = .001). Higher school climate was associated with significant declines in victimization (β = -.30, p = .001) and emotional problems (β = -.10, p = .001).

Discussion: Changing protective processes that influence children’s behaviors in their classrooms (expectations of social responsibility, prosocial leadership) and school climate can reduce peer aggression and victimization and emotional problems in elementary school children. Strategies that support equitable access to evidence-based programs across diverse geographic and linguistic groups need to be considered in efforts to go to scale.