The ViSC Program: How Do Bullies, Victims, Bully-Victims, and Uninvolved Adolescents Perceive the Program Activities?

Issue title: Thematic Section, Part I: 22nd Workshop on Aggression: Contemporary Perspectives on Aggressive Behavior: Exploring Trends across the Lifespan

Guest editors: Herbert Scheithauer, Panayiotis Stavrinides and Kostas Fanti

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Solomontos-Kountouri, Olga^a | Strohmeier, Dagmar^{b; c; *}

Affiliations: [a] Theology School, Church of Cyprus | [b] University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Linz, Austria | [c] Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Norway

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Olga Solomontos-Kountouri, Theology School, Church of Cyprus, 1-7, Isokratous Street, 1016, Nicosia, Cyprus; E-mail: o.solomontos-kountouri@theo.ac.cy.

Abstract: This study examines how bullies, victims, bully-victims, and uninvolved adolescents perceive the activities of the class project of the ViSC social competence program. The ViSC program is a whole school socio-ecological anti-bullying program that was implemented in 43 classes, grade 7, 8, and 9, in three Cypriot schools. A sample of 778 adolescents (52% girls, Mage = 13.9, SD = 0.86) who participated in the ViSC class project, answered open-format questions concerning most-and least-liked class project activities. Applying normative cut-off scores, four groups of adolescents were identified: 47 (6%) bullies, 64 (8%) victims, 45 (6%) bully-victims, and 609 (80%) uninvolved. There were meaningful differences between these groups regarding their most and least liked program activities. While uninvolved adolescents liked the behavioural improvement and victims liked the knowledge improvement more than the other groups; bullies and bully-victims did not like anything about the program content more often compared to the other groups. The findings are discussed regarding their practical implications for program development to better serve the needs of different bully-victim groups.

Keywords: Social competence, evidence-based prevention, anti-bullying program, person-oriented approach, bullying

DOI: 10.3233/DEV-180254

Journal: International Journal of Developmental Science, vol. 12, no. 3-4, pp. 159-168, 2018