Session: Contemporary Issues in Bullying Prevention Research: A Person X Environment Focus (Society for Prevention Research 23rd Annual Meeting)

Bullying is a significant public health concern. This symposium addresses hot topics in bullying research by using utilizing innovative approaches and methods.  All three papers have strong implications for prevention and intervention of bullying and aggressive behaviors.

The first paper focuses on the school context of public vs. private settings to better understand how rates and types of bullying vary by school type. Utilizing propensity scores, the authors matched 4,308 students from public and private high schools.  In doing this the authors were able to reduce selection bias and examine the effect of being in private schools on the forms and locations of bullying experienced as well as bystander responses to bullying.  The matched analyses showed interesting differences such as between the two school settings, which generally favored the private school context. For example, students in private schools were less likely to tell an adult when they witnessed bullying. These findings have important implications for school choice and school-based prevention efforts which are contextually sensitive.

The second paper builds upon prior research of bullying through the examination of global measures of social cognition (e.g., perceptions of friendships) as possible mediators between cognitive functioning and bullying and other externalizing behaviors. The longitudinal analyses supported the hypothesis that social cognitions mediated these associations. These findings highlight the importance of prevention programs aimed at reducing aggression focus on social information processing by targeting social cognitions.

The final paper examined genetic susceptibility (polygenic risk score; PRS) to bullying using longitudinal data from first grade until age 19-21.  Results indicated that those who were bully-victims had the highest genetic vulnerability to aggressive behavior problems, followed by those who were bullies. These results provide evidence of a genetic influence of bullying.  

 An expert prevention researcher will provide summary statements and discussion points that speak to future directions in studying and preventing aggression and bullying behaviors.  The discussant will also consider implications of the findings in light of the recent increased focus on enhancing school climate and promoting children’s social-emotional skills.