Everyone is aware that bullying is undesirable. The consequences for children who are bullied at school are especially negative: from bad performance at school to psychological issues such as depression, issues that can persist far into adulthood. With dozens of programmes, schools try to reduce bullying. But whether or not children themselves indicate an actual reduction in bullying has barely been researched. Until now.
Through the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO), Professor of Developmental Psychology Bram Orobio de Castro of Utrecht University and colleagues from the University of Groningen, Radboud University Nijmegen, VU Amsterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Trimbos Institute were commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of OCW to test the effectiveness of seven anti-bullying programmes. In their final report “Wat werkt tegen pesten?” (Translation: What works against bullying?), they conclude that four programmes actually reduce bullying.