A short intervention on cyberbullying for students in middle school and their parents

This chapter reviews strategies adopted for a school-based cyberbullying prevention intervention entitled, “Social Networking Safety Promotion and Cyberbullying Prevention.” This intervention was introduced in 2011 by the Arizona Attorney General to promote social networking safety and prevent cyberbullying in middle-school students. Two studies examined the effectiveness of this intervention: one with middle-school students, and the other with parents of middle-school students. The evaluation of this intervention was guided by the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). For the student study, results indicated that the intervention positively impacted perceptions of severity and response efficacy, as well as attitudes and behavioral intentions. For the parent study, results indicated that the intervention successfully increased perceptions of susceptibility, as well intentions to engage in the following recommended behaviors: save the evidence, do not retaliate, and tell a trusted adult or an authority figure. Future directions for cyberbullying prevention interventions are also discussed.