# An Evidence-based Approach for Bullying Prevention

> **NIH NIH R44** · NATIONAL HEALTH PROMOTION ASSOCIATES, INC. · 2020 · $99,142

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
An Evidence-Based Serious Game Approach for Bullying Prevention
Administrative Supplement
 Bullying, in its most familiar form, is a serious public health concern. This is especially true
during the middle-school years, a transition period when bullying increases. Cyberbullying, an
electronic evolution of face-to-face bullying, is willful and repeated harm inflicted through
computers, cell phones and other electronic devices to threaten, harass, embarrass, or socially
exclude another. Both victims and offenders of bullying and cyberbullying are more likely to have
low self-esteem, suicidal ideation, depression, substance use, and lower academic achievement.
In this project, National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA) developed a bullying and
cyberbullying prevention intervention for middle school students, including interactive classroom
sessions and corresponding serious games, based on the evidence-based substance abuse
prevention approach called Life Skills Training (LST). The LST prevention model teaches youth
personal self-management skills, social skills, drug refusal skills, and other life skills needed to
successfully navigate developmental tasks, increase resilience, and facilitate healthy
psychosocial development. The LST program has been extensively tested and found to effectively
prevent substance use in a series of randomized controlled trials (RCT) with behavioral effects
reported in over 30 peer-reviewed publications. In the present study, we have developed the
intervention materials and are now conducting a rigorous randomized controlled trial with 24
middle/junior high schools that have been assigned to either the LST prevention program alone
or LST with the newly developed bullying/cyberbullying materials. The outcome evaluation
assesses changes in behaviors, norms, attitudes, and knowledge for bullying/cyberbullying and
concurrent alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) abuse between the two experimental
conditions. To examine the impact of the intervention, survey data are being collected immediately
before and after its implementation and at 12- and 24-month follow-up assessments. We are also
conducting a process evaluation to document dosage, fidelity implementation, and
school/community events.
 In March of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the United States and had a
disruptive impact on this research, especially the activities conducted in schools. Schools
throughout the country, including those participating in our randomized controlled trial, were
closed by state and/or local officials. These abrupt closures had a severe impact on the trial
fieldwork. All field activities, including intervention implementation and data collection, had to be
halted. In addition, NHPA’s office (located in White Plains, New York) and all businesses not
designated as “essential” were closed by an executive order of the NYS governor. Where
possible, employees were instructed to establish at-home workstations and work from ho...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10192438
- **Project number:** 3R44HD074319-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** NATIONAL HEALTH PROMOTION ASSOCIATES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Williams
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $99,142
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-09 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10192438

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10192438, An Evidence-based Approach for Bullying Prevention (3R44HD074319-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10192438. Licensed CC0.

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