Interventions to reduce bullying

Recognising the potential health risk of bullying in schools, numerous anti-bullying interventions have been developed. These have been designed to prevent bullying from happening and/or to stop bullying from continuing once it has occurred. Evaluations of the effectiveness of such interventions indicate some positive effects in reducing the level of bullying in schools and in stopping cases from continuing. Alternative approaches and intervention methods are reviewed and their reported effectiveness examined. Factors considered relevant in the choice of method are discussed, such as the severity of the bullying, the age of the child and the thoroughness of program implementation.