Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Systematic Literature Review and Cyberbullying: An intervention to Improve Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behavior Among Adolescents

Abstract

Objectives: To systematically review existing interventions to prevent and address cyberbullying among adolescents and to propose a new intervention based on gaps in the reviewed interventions. Methods: In Phase 1 of this study, intervention studies on cyberbullying were examined in a Preferred Reporting Items for Systelnatic Reviews (PRISMA) systematic literature review. Article selection and review process when identifying intervention articles was performed in the Frances Willson Thompson Library on the University of Michigan-Flint's website. The studies within the PRISMA review were not restricted geographically; they included studies from all over the world. Cyberbullying is not restricted to any region of the country or even the world. However, restrictions were limited to adolescents (and in one study parents of adolescents) of middle school age. Phase 2 is a cyberbullying intervention that was developed for future use to improve attitudes and knowledge among 6th and 7th grade students. The intervention was to include a PowerPoint presentation, interactive activity, and a pretest/postlest assessment. Results PRISMA Systematic Literature Review: Main findings of PRISMA indicated positive results, increasing cyberbullying knowledge of participants when implemented in schools. This is probably since cyberbullying can take place anywhere; often the effects will overflow into the school climate (Aizenkot and Kashy-Rosenbaum, 2018). Interventions focused on increasing the knowledge of students, school staff and peers that were involved in the educational process of the intervention. Some technological strategies that made programs successful included modules or lessons that exclusively used computers to teach students. Non-technological strategies included modules or lessons that were taught by trained school staff and peers, while other programs had a combination of both. Programs were based on a variety of theories. The theory of planned behavior and socioecological approach were used the most throughout the literature review. Durations of the interventions varied from a few hours to an entire school year. The programs with longer durations were found to have more significant results than the programs that were implemented with shorter durations and programs containing parent or teacher educators were more effective than programs without (Grad inger, Yanagida, Strohmeier, and Spiel, 2016). Methods school-based intervention: Phase 2 was developed based on the successful strategies such as use of theoretically-based models to develop the intervention and addressed gaps in the PRISMA literature review such as allowing trained teachers, school staff, and peers to implement the intervention. All suggestions from the University of Michigan-Flint Intuitional Review Board (IRB), school principal, and counselor were taken into consideration and incorporated in the final product. In correlation with the PRISMA review, the principal suggested conducting the intervention in person because when students work independently such as on a computer, they have the tendency to rush. Suggestions also included the necessity to modify the educational material to remain age-appropriate (i.e. no mention of suicide or drug related material) and modify student consent forms to construct them to be less complex than the original. The intervention will include a pretest assessment, an interactive activity that consisted of cyberbully discussion, PowerPoint presentation that included definition, risk factors, facts, videos, and prevention strategies, and conclude with a postlest assessment. The pretest/postlest survey will be conducted through Qualtrics within the University of Michigan-Flint website. Anti-cyberbullying posters (appendix D, E, and F) were created to increase awareness of cyberbullying. The posters will be displayed around the school two months prior to the intervention. Conclusion: The study consisted of two phases. Phase 1, PRISMA conducted to determine the interventions that successfully improve attitudes and knowledge among adolescents to reduce cyberbullying. Main findings of PRISMA indicated positive results, increasing cyberbullying knowledge of participants when implemented in schools. Phase 2 included the development of a cyberbullying intervention to improve attitudes and knowledge among 6th and 7th grade students to reduce cyberbullying. The intentions were to start with a small community, such as Chesaning, and successfully make an impact within the community since research suggests changing the norms of cyberbullying requires a community effort (Feinberg and Robey, 2009). To change norms within the community, there needs to be education and involvement from the entire community. I created anti-cyberbullying advertisements (appendix G and H) to be incorporated into social media to increase the awareness of cyberbullying. Anti-cyberbullying advertisements can also be posted on the school districts website for the parents to become aware of cyberbullying, thus involving the community. I have provided the material produced for the cyberbullying intervention to the principal of Chesaning Middle School to use in the future.