Cyberbullying prevention within a socio-ecological framework: The ViSC social competence program
Keywords
Cyberbullying
Cybervictimization
Bullying prevention
Whole school approach
Publication details
| Year: | 2018 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/b978-0-12-811423-0.00014-6 |
| Issued: | 2018 |
| Language: | English |
| Start Page: | 189 |
| End Page: | 202 |
| Editors: | Campbell M.; Bauman S. |
| Authors: | Gradinger P.; Strohmeier D. |
| Type: | Book chapter |
| Book title: | Reducing Cyberbullying in Schools |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
| Place: | Amsterdam |
| Topics: | Learning; Internet usage, practices and engagement; Risks and harms; Researching children online: methodology and ethics |
| Sample: | 2,042 students (47.6% girls), aged 11.7 years (SD ¼ 0.88) enrolled in 18 schools and 103 classes. Sustainability (e.g., the change between waves 3 and 2) was examined in a subsample of 6 schools and 35 classes comprising 659 students. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation |
| Implications For Educators About: | Digital citizenship; Other |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Stepping up awareness and empowerment; Creating a safe environment for children online; Other |
| Other PolicyMaker Implication: | Developing new school inclusive programs focused on preventing cyberbullying among young people with asperge syndrome or intellectual disabilities |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers |
Abstract
Based on a socioecological perspective on development, this chapter discusses the value of implementing a general antibullying program to change cyberbullying and cybervictimization. To date, etiological models for cyberbullying and cybervictimization prevention are lacking, and longitudinal and experimental research on risk and protective factors regarding cyberbullying and cybervictimization is rather sparse. Therefore, it is important to know whether a general antibullying program is able to change cyberbullying and cybervictimization. This chapter describes the elements of the ViSC program, a socioecological primary prevention program originally developed in Austria, and reports evaluation results from studies conducted in Austria, Romania, Cyprus, and Turkey. In line with the socioecological framework, the program is more effective in reducing traditional bullying and victimization when delivered as a whole school program. Furthermore, the program is also effective in reducing cyberbullying and cybervictimization indicating that cyberforms of bullying share similar mechanisms with traditional forms of bullying.
Outcome
Using a Bivariate Multiple Group Latent Change Model for traditional aggression, traditional victimisation and age, results show programme effectiveness in relation to cyberbullying (latent d = 0.39) and cyber-victimisation (latent d = 0.29), indicating that these behaviours reflect a systemic (school) problem.