Hi all, Bullying in schools is widely recognized as a significant public health problem. While there are many anti-bullying campaigns and programs out there, the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) has shown remarkable results. The program began in 1983, a year after three teenage boys committed suicide following severe bullying in a Norwegian school. Dr. Dan Olweus designed the program that was implemented in 42 primary and junior high schools across Norway. Dr. Olweus underscored the idea that bullying could be transformed into positive social behavior by restructuring the social environment. Restructuring decreased the number of opportunities and rewards (e.g. peer support) for bullying. A key element of success in this restructuring was active stakeholder engagement. Principals, teachers, school administrators, guidance counsellors, on-site mental health professionals, parents, students, and bus drivers were all actively involved and committed to the program. Schools established a Bully Prevention Coordinating Committee to ensure that the program was implemented effectively. One member of this committee would liaise with an OBPP program consultant. They also held a half or full-day school conference at the start of the school year to create a detailed long-term plan to implement the OBPP program in the school. Some schools would view a bullying video to elicit participants’ gut reactions to bullying. Students learned through the videos what type of behavior was considered bullying. They observed bullying scenes in videos, engaged in roleplaying and participated in discussions. These discussions made potential bullies aware that their peers had negative attitudes towards bullying. They therefore complied with peer pressure to follow the newly established anti-bullying rules, as they became part of the behavioral norm at the school. Since most bullying incidents took place on the playground or in the classroom, higher teacher-student ratios during these times meant less bullying incidents occurred. In these contexts, teachers rewarded students who: - Intervened when a student engaged in bullying behavior- Called a teacher’s attention to a bullying situation- Included isolated students in group activities The program also included talks with bullies and victims at an individual level. When there was more than one bully involved, teachers spoke with them separately and in rapid succession so that the bullies did not have time to come up with a common story. Talks with victims encouraged them to come forward in the future if they were bullied again. It was critical for the victims to experience the adults’ support and to believe in the plan of action that the school was implementing in order for the child to feel safer at school. Talks with parents of bullied children also took place. The program found that the parents of the bully were more likely to cooperate when they learned that bullies were at a higher risk of drug or alcohol abuse or even criminal activities. Results? From 1983 to 1985, the OBPP in Norway demonstrated a reduction of 20-35% in students being bullied in the intervention schools. In the control schools, there was little to no change in students being bullied. The program was also replicated in the USA and in Germany. In the USA, after seven months, in the intervention schools there was a reported 25% decrease in bullying, while there was a reported increase in the control schools. In Germany, in 1994, the reported decrease in bullying was 18%. Since the program’s inception, OBPP has been replicated in schools across England, Sweden, Finland, Holland, and Canada. In a more recent study in 2011, the reduction in bullying was around 12% in 49 counties across Pennsylvania. To read more about this impressive anti-bullying program, click here.
