Abstract Book - International Academy of Law and Mental Health

Why are Bully Prevention Programs Failing in Schools in the UnitedStates?Dorothy Espelage, University of Illinois (espelage@illinois.edu)Bullying is highly prevalent, reduces academic achievement, and results in psychosocialproblems that extend into adulthood (Espelage & Horne, 2008). Despite the costs of bullying,the impact of bullying prevention programs in the United States has been disappointing,especially in middle-schools. Two meta-analyses found that effects were non-existent or toosmall to be practically helpful (Smith et al., 2004, Merrell et al., 2008). A third found thatprograms reduced bullying in non-American countries by 23% but effects for American studieswere significantly lower (Ttofi & Farrington, 2011). It is important that anti-bullying legislationand policies are comprehensive and enumerate specific characteristics of targets to be protected.Comprehensive policies about bullying and discrimination explicitly state protection based onenumerated personal characteristics, including sexual orientation and gender identity/expression,race, etc. Bullying content is highly associated with homophobic banter (for review, see Espelage& Poteat, 2012). In addition to their focus on general bullying, prevention efforts and legislationshould require a focus on gender-based harassment and violence (i.e., sexual harassment andviolence, dating violence, harassment and violence associated with sexual orientation and/orgender-role nonconformity).A Call for Public Health Policies for the Prevention of Bullying:Related Health and Safety RisksJorge Srabstein, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, USA (jsrabste@cnmc.org)There is evolving evidence that bullying is a multifaceted and toxic form of maltreatment,prevalent across social settings, throughout the lifespan and around the world. People whoparticipate in bullying as victims, perpetrators and/or as bystanders are at significant risk ofsuffering from an array of health and safety problems and risks. Most of the legislative initiativesdeveloped around the world have placed the brunt of responsibility for its prevention oneducators and school administrators and have focused on penalties or consequences. Given thesignificant pyschobiosocial antecedents and consequences of bullying, as well as its public healthimplications, there is a need to advocate for the development of public policies that foster theprevention, detection and treatment of bullying related health problems, across social settings,throughout the lifespan and with whole community participation. This presentation will enableparticipants to: appreciate the developing understanding about the nature, ecology, prevalenceand morbidity of bullying; review the range of anti-bullying legislative initiatives enacted aroundthe world; advocate for the development of public policies for the prevention of bullying andrelated health risks, across social settings and along the lifespan, based on a three tier preventionmodel.42