Intervention program addressing cyberbullying among school-age children: A single-group design

The present study investigated the unique characteristics of cyberbullying and the extent to which school-age children are involved in and vulnerable to it. The intervention program was developed in Israel, based on findings pertaining to cyberbullying and online victimization, with the expectation that student participants would acquire knowledge and strategies for effectively handling online communication. The program focused on raising awareness of cyberbullying and helping children acquire effective coping strategies. Participants included the entire school, 365 students in third through eighth grade ranging in age from 8 to 14 years (M = 11.08, S.D. = 2.17). Before participating in the program, all the participants completed an internet and cyberbullying questionnaire. Upon completion of the program, they filled out the same questionnaire again, the findings of which reveal a decrease in the percentage of children reporting being cyber victims and an increase in the number of students reporting having witnessed cyberbullying. In addition, results indicate that before and after the intervention program, relative to boys, girls more often reported being cyber victims and using a greater variety of strategies to deal with cyberbullying. To examine the efficacy of the intervention program, the students were asked to answer questions about their level of satisfaction. Findings show that 65.3% of the participants indicated a high level of satisfaction, as well as a higher level of awareness of cyberbullying and of more strategies to deal with it. The findings may encourage additional research in different schools and regions, in order to deeply investigate the outcomes of the intervention program on students' social and emotional behavior and their well-being.