Bullying: Prevention/ intervention strategies with high school students

Bullying has been a prevalent issue within the public and private school systems for as long as they have existed. There have always been students who were victimized for various reasons, or for no reason at all, but this generation has become much more vicious when it comes to the lengths to which they will go to hurt someone. Many methods have been used in an attempt to create both prevention and intervention plans for these horrible acts, but it is quite difficult to change a person’s behavior. So what if instead of trying to alter the mind of the bully, we attempt to alter the mind of the victim? The goal of this project is to conduct a research study that will test the effectiveness of a bullying prevention/ intervention plan among high school students. In an attempt to change attitudes and thoughts, students participate in a workshop style meeting once a week, educating them about various facts concerning bullying, coping mechanisms, resources, etc. The objective is to arm students with various ways to prevent themselves from becoming victims of bullying or if they have already been impacted, show them effective ways to cope. There is currently a lack of research in the field of bullying intervention with high school students in the United States. Most of the research that has been conducted deals mainly with prevention of the problem, whereas I hope to expand on the intervention and aftermath components. This is an issue that garners much publicity in the media, but not as much when it comes to clinical research. After the results of this study have been determined, the research will provide school systems with the knowledge and curriculum to incorporate into their current teaching as an aid to help students battle bullying. It will give them insight on how to prevent the problem, how to intervene if there is a problem, and how to take care of students and their health after the bullying has subsided