Summary
This narrative review synthesises research on bullying as repetitive aggressive behaviour characterised by power imbalance, reflecting the substantial expansion of bullying research in the past decade partly driven by cyberbullying emergence. The paper identifies variable prevalence rates attributable to measurement inconsistencies and differential risk across persons and groups, and reviews multi-level factors influencing involvement alongside evidence for anti-bullying interventions, noting that further work is needed to identify most effective programme components and address cyberbullying.
Regional applicability
Given the UK's established school bullying research base and anti-bullying policy frameworks, this international review would be relevant to UK school practitioners and policymakers seeking evidence-grounded intervention strategies, though UK-specific prevalence data and intervention effectiveness would require complementary national research.
Key measures
Bullying prevalence rates across populations; effectiveness metrics from meta-analyses of anti-bullying programmes; risk factors across individual, family, school and country levels
Outcomes reported
The paper reviews bullying prevalence rates, identifies individual and contextual risk factors for involvement, and reports meta-analytical findings on the effectiveness of anti-bullying interventions developed over 30 years. It examines both consequences for victims and social benefits experienced by some perpetrators.
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