Systematic Review of Cyberbullying Interventions for Youth and Parents With Implications for Evidence-Based Practice.
Elizabeth Hutson, Stephanie Kelly, Lisa K Militello
PMID 28859246WHAT IT FOUND
School-based cyberbullying programs showed mixed results.
Programs reducing both cyberbullying and victimization included empathy, coping, social skills, and digital citizenship. Parent education appeared in successful interventions. No evidence exists for healthcare-based interventions.
Key findings
01Programs with significant reductions in both cyberbullying and cybervictimization included the individual components of communication and social skills, empathy training, coping skills, and digital citizenship.
02Less than half of the reviewed programs (7 of 17) included educational content for parents, yet these were among the successful programs in reducing cyberbullying and cybervictimization.
03All identified interventions were conducted in school settings, and none could be implemented in full by healthcare providers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All included studies were conducted in school settings, limiting generalizability to healthcare contexts. Only 10 of 17 studies were randomized, and many lacked clear reporting on randomization, blinding, or allocation. All programs relied on self-report measures with no concurrent teacher or parent verification. Most articles did not define cyberbullying, making it difficult to determine if all studies measured the same phenomenon. The review was not a meta-analysis due to heterogeneity in measurement, so pooled effect sizes are not available. Only English-language articles were included.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these school-based programs are effective in clinical settings. The review found no evidence for healthcare-delivered interventions, and the authors' recommendations for nurse or provider education are extrapolations from school data, not tested clinical practices.