The effectiveness of a peer-counseling program in reducing cyberbullying among middle school students

The current research aimed to verify the effectiveness of a program based on peer counseling in reducing cyberbullying among middle school students. To realize the objectives of the research, a sample of (20) students was selected from among the students whom the student advisors indicated that they practice cyberbullying, and they were randomly divided into two groups. An experimental group of (10) students who were exposed to the counseling program, and a control group of (10) students who were not exposed to any counseling intervention. A scale was developed for cyberbullying and its psychometric properties were checked, and a counseling program was prepared consisting of (16) counseling sessions, the duration of each session (45-60) minutes, and it was based on peer-counseling . The results of the study concluded that the counseling program was effective and the level of cyberbullying among students in the experimental group decreased compared to the control group, and the results also found that the members of the experimental group maintained improvement after the end of the program and the application of follow-up measurement for a month, which shows the role of the counseling program in helping students to reduce cyberbullying, and based on the results of the study, some recommendations were made, including the adoption of the current program in helping students who are cyberbullying.