Cited by 188Bullying, Victimization, and AggressionWorkplace Violence and BullyingLegal Issues in Education

The effectiveness of policy interventions for school bullying: A systematic review

Open access
Hall, William·2017·Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Bullying threatens the mental and educational well-being of students. Although anti-bullying policies are prevalent, little is known about their effectiveness. This systematic review evaluates the methodological characteristics and summarizes substantive findings of studies examining the effectiveness of school bullying policies. METHOD: Searches of 11 bibliographic databases yielded 489 studies completed since January 1, 1995. Following duplicate removal and double-independent screening based on a priori inclusion criteria, 21 studies were included for review. RESULTS: Substantially more educators perceive anti-bullying policies to be effective rather than ineffective. Whereas several studies show that the presence or quality of policies is associated with lower rates of bullying among students, other studies found no such associations between policy presence or quality and reductions in bullying. Consistent across studies, this review found that schools with anti-bullying policies that enumerated protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity were associated with better protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students. Specifically, LGBTQ students in schools with such policies reported less harassment and more frequent and effective intervention by school personnel. Findings are mixed regarding the relationship between having an anti-bullying policy and educators' responsiveness to general bullying. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-bullying policies might be effective at reducing bullying if their content is based on evidence and sound theory and if they are implemented with a high level of fidelity. More research is needed to improve on limitations among extant studies.

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  • Comprehensive anti-bullying policies are legally mandated in UK schools, and best practices encourage involvement of educators and parents when writing policies.

    “Comprehensive anti-bullying policies are legally mandated in UK schools (98) and best practices encourage the involvement of educators and parents when writing policies (99).”

    From A thematic analysis of adolescents’ perceptions of cyberbullying and cyberaggression: definitional distinctions and educational gaps (2026) · cites this paper as [99]

    The “Policy as an Intervention for Bullying” section says anti-bullying laws have been enacted in the United Kingdom, but does not establish that comprehensive policies are legally mandated in every UK school. The “Results on Policy Effectiveness” section lists stakeholder involvement in policy development and parent involvement in prevention, but does not specifically recommend that both educators and parents help write policies. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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Research works printed but not linked: 16

  1. Barnes CM 2010 Bullying behavior: Perspectives on implementation of policy from building level administrators and school counselors Unpublished doctoral dissertation University of Memphis Memphis, TN
  2. Cook CR Williams KR Guerra NG Kim TE 2010 Variability in the prevalence of bullying and victimization: A cross-national and methodological analysis 347 362 Jimerson SR Swearer SM Espelage DL Handbook of bullying in schools: An international perspective New York, NY Routledge
  3. Hedwall J 2006 Selected educators’ perceptions of the effectiveness and implementation of anti-bullying programs as required by legislation in Connecticut high schools Unpublished doctoral dissertation Argosy University Sarasota, FL
  4. Holmgreen JK 2014 A descriptive study of the perceptions of superintendents of schools in the State of Texas regarding recent court decisions and the effectiveness of their own school board policy on student bullying behavior Unpublished doctoral dissertation Texas A&M University Kingsville, TX
  5. Isom JC 2014 Understanding teacher perceptions of bullying and effectiveness of an anti-bullying policy: A case study of suburban high school teachers in the southwestern U.S Unpublished doctoral dissertation Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
  6. Jordan KJ 2014 Administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of bullying and bullying policies in middle schools in three South Carolina school districts Unpublished doctoral dissertation South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC
  7. Ju A 2012 Effectiveness of anti-bullying policies in high schools Unpublished master’s thesis Providence College Providence, RI
  8. Kaiser B Rasminsky JS 2009 Bullying Kaiser B Rasminsky JS Challenging behavior in elementary and middle school 280 306 Upper Saddle River, NJ Pearson
  9. Lee C 2007 An ecological prediction model of bullying behaviors among South Korean middle school students Unpublished doctoral dissertation Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
  10. MacLeod IR 2007 A study of administrative policy responses to bullying in Illinois secondary schools Unpublished doctoral dissertation Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
  11. Mead JF 2009 The role of law in educational policy formation, implementation and research Sykes G Plank D Schneider B Handbook of education policy research 286 295 Washington, DC Routledge
  12. Ordonez MA 2006 Prevalence of bullying among elementary school children as a function of the comprehensiveness of anti-bullying policies and programs in the school Unpublished doctoral dissertation Ball State University Muncie, IN
  13. Robbins R 2011 Anti-bullying policies and practices in Texas middle schools Unpublished doctoral dissertation University of North Texas Denton, TX
  14. Schlenoff F 2014 Perceptions of the school community as it implements New Jersey harassment, intimidation, and bullying legislation Unpublished doctoral dissertation College of Saint Elizabeth Morristown, NJ
  15. Smith-Canty V 2010 An analysis of the implementation of the South Carolina anti-bullying legislation in the middle schools involved in the Abbeville, South Carolina, school district lawsuit Unpublished doctoral dissertation South Carolina State University Orangeburg, SC
  16. Thomas J Harden A Newman M 2012 Synthesis: Combining results systematically and appropriately Gough D Oliver S Thomas J An introduction to systematic reviews 179 226 Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications

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Authors
Hall, W.
Affiliations
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Corresponding author
Hall, William
Venue
Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research
Published
2017-03-01
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
45-69
ISSN
  • 1948-822X (ISSN-L)
  • 2334-2315
OpenAlex
W2582257475
Cited by
188
References
73
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 2
FWCI
1.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH019117)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Workplace Violence and Bullying
  • Social Sciences › Law › Legal Issues in Education
Keywords
school bullying, anti-bullying policy, policy effectiveness, LGBTQ students, educator perceptions

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