Anti-Bullying Strategy That Teaches Bystanders To Intervene Is Most Effective, Say Study
A new anti-bullying strategy that focuses on teaching bystanders to intervene has been proven to dramatically cut bullying and also improve the self-esteem of bullied children.
Called KiVa, the the new approach involves role-playing exercises and computer simulations that encourage students to increase empathy and think how they could intervene if someone else is being bullied.
While previous strategies have concentrated solely on reducing bullying rates, KiVa also focuses on those who need the most help - children who are repeatedly bullied.
In a study led by UCLA, the strategy was found to cut down on bullying rates and also reduce the depression of those children who were bullied on a weekly basis.
It also helped to build the self esteem of those who had been bullied.
What’s more, a comparison with 53 other anti-bullying strategies showed that that the the KiVa approach was the most effective at reducing bullying rates.
The research involved more than 7,000 students in 77 schools across Finland.
The authors of the study believe that introducing ‘zero tolerance’ policies on bullying in schools and simply punishing bullies is ineffective.
Instead, they argue that the focus should be on teaching students to stand up for others.
The KiVa approach has been tested in several countries and has been implemented at a national level in Finland.
The new technique is named after the the Finnish words ‘Kiusaamista vastaan’ meaning ‘against bullying’, and ‘kiva’, meaning ‘nice’.
The research was first published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
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