A Systematic Review on Cyberbullying Interventions and Preventions

Abstract

This study provides the results of the systematic review of the effectiveness of programs/software developed to intervene and prevent in cyberbullying. In the study, the studies published before June 2020, where the effects of programs/software developed for the intervention and prevention in cyberbullying were examined systematically. Of the approximately 2400 studies accessed through online databases, 28 studies that met the criteria of this study were systematically examined. The findings of the study revealed that there were 24 different programs/software from nine different countries for the purpose of intervening and preventing in cyberbullying and that the studies examined had different session frequency, duration, and theoretical background. It was observed that the researchers systematically examined adopt technological and non-technological strategies in the intervention and prevention of cyberbullying while some programs/software use both strategies together. It is determined that while some of the programs/software in the studies examined are intended to prevent cyberbullying, others are intended to interfere in cyberbullying, and some other programs/software are intended to do both. Consequently, this systematic review fills an important gap in the cyberbullying literature and points out that programs/software can be effective in intervening and/or preventing cyberbullying. However, it is thought that it will be useful to examine which components are effective and to what extent they are effective in intervening and/or preventing cyberbullying in future studies.