Cyberbullying intervention and prevention programmes in Primary Education (6 to 12 years): A systematic review

Abstract

The majority of studies in the current literature analyse cyberbullying at the secondary education stage. Nevertheless, although it has been shown that cybervictim and cyberbully roles may arise from the Primary School stage onwards, more research is still needed. The consequences of this problem can be manifested in indicators of psycho-social and psycho-emotional adjustment, harming not only the aggressor and the victim, but also the bystander. The aim of this study is to deepen the research and to analyse cyberbullying programmes implemented in primary schools in order to know their results and what are those factors on which the programmes are focused. Thus, a systematic and exhaustive search for empirical studies was carried out, with 17 programmes included in the review. It has been observed that cyberbullying prevention interventions from the first contact with technologies are effective in addressing and reducing cyberbullying-related behaviours. Specifically, emotional competence, self-regulation skills, school climate and online safety are factors that are present in programmes with positive results in prevention of cyberbullying. Furthermore, the need to design and validate specific data collection instruments for Primary Education is highlighted, as well as it is necessary to increase the frequency of implementation and evaluation of interventions, favouring collaboration between families and the educational centre.