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AbstractThe KiVa antibullying program has been widely implemented in Finnish comprehensive schools since 2009. The program is predicated on the idea that a positive change in the behaviors of classmates can reduce the rewards gained by the perpetrators of bullying and consequently their motivation to bully in the first place. KiVa involves both universal and bullying specific actions to prevent the emergence of new cases of bullying, stop ongoing bullying, and reduce the negative consequences of victimization. The program has been evaluated in a randomized controlled trial involving 234 Finnish schools and during broad dissemination across Finnish schools (the evaluation involving almost one thousand schools) with positive findings. The program content and the implementation model are presented in this article, and the findings from the evaluation studies are summarized.

The effects of a Finnish national school-based antibullying program (KiVa) were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (2007-2009) and during nationwide implementation (since 2009). The KiVa program is been found to reduce bullying and victimization and increase empathy towards victimized peers and self-efficacy to support and defend them. KiVa increases school liking and motivation and contributes to significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and negative peer perceptions. Somewhat larger reductions in bullying and victimization were found in the randomized controlled trial than in the broad rollout, and the largest effects were obtained in primary school (grades 1-6). The uptake of the KiVa program is remarkable, with 90 percent of Finnish comprehensive schools currently registered as program users. Adapted from the source document.

"The effects of a Finnish national school-based antibullying program (KiVa) were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (2007-2009) and during nationwide implementation (since 2009). The KiVa program is been found to reduce bullying and victimization and increase empathy towards victimized peers and self-efficacy to support and defend them. KiVa increases school liking and motivation and contributes to significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and negative peer perceptions. Somewhat larger reductions in bullying and victimization were found in the randomized controlled trial than in the broad rollout, and the largest effects were obtained in primary school (grades 1-6). The uptake of the KiVa program is remarkable, with 90 percent of Finnish comprehensive schools currently registered as program users." (author's abstract)

AbstractCurrent theorists stress the context‐specificity of social behaviors and social cognitions. Although researchers have started to investigate the relationship as one context that might influence social cognitions, relatively little is known about the influence of relational context on the social goals endorsed by children and adolescents. The current study tested the hypothesis that pre‐adolescents' goals would vary between individuals as well as across relational contexts, and examined factors that might explain such variation. Participants (N = 102, 11–12 years) filled in questionnaires regarding their social goals and self‐ and peer‐perceptions when around each same‐sex classmate. Both goals and perceptions displayed significant variation between individuals, as well as between different relationship contexts. The goals pre‐adolescents pursued in different relationships were partly explained by varying perceptions of self and of the relationship partner in each relational context, as well as by the affective nature of the relationship. After accounting for the relationship‐specific variation, few associations were significant at the individual level. The results highlight the importance of studying contextual variance in social goals and social cognitions in general.

Les conséquences graves du harcèlement scolaire sur la santé physique et psychique des enfants rendent nécessaire la mise en œuvre de programmes d'intervention efficaces. Cet article a pour objectif de présenter les fondements théoriques, les composantes et les résultats du programme anti-harcèlement KiVa, créé en Finlande en 2006 à l'initiative et grâce au financement du ministère de l'Éducation. Il est utilisé actuellement dans 90 % des établissements scolaires finlandais et dans de nombreux pays dans le monde. KiVa est basé sur l'idée que les élèves témoins jouent un rôle clé dans la poursuite ou non du harcèlement. Le programme s'adresse donc à tous les élèves. En Finlande, son efficacité a d'abord été démontrée par un essai randomisé contrôlé (ERC), puis lors de la dissémination du programme à l'échelle nationale. KiVa entraîne une baisse significative du harcèlement et des comportements d'encouragement aux harceleurs ainsi qu'une hausse de l'empathie pour les victimes. Par ailleurs, on constate chez les élèves exposés au programme une baisse du niveau d'anxiété et de dépression, une amélioration de leur motivation, de leurs résultats scolaires, et de la perception qu'ils ont de leurs pairs. L'article porte une attention particulière aux facteurs modérateurs et médiateurs de l'efficacité du programme.

AbstractThe current study examined the longitudinal interplay between bullying, victimization, and social status (acceptance, rejection, and perceived popularity) over the course of 1 year. Cross‐lagged path models were estimated for two cohorts, covering grades 3–6 (N = 3904, M age = 11.2 years) and grades 7–9 (N = 4492, M age = 14.4 years). Comparisons between cohorts and by gender were conducted. The results of this study corroborate the complexity of the longitudinal interplay between bullying, victimization, and social status in showing that direction and strength of associations differ by type of peer status, age, and gender. Conclusions cannot be drawn without taking these differences into account. The findings are discussed according to these differences, and directions for future research are provided.

AbstractIn this study we examined children's self‐efficacy, outcome expectations, and outcome values in relation to bystander responses in bullying situations. We proposed that beyond the effect of self‐efficacy, the decision to defend the victim of bullying vs. remain passive vs. reinforce the bully depends on outcomes children expect from defending, and on the value they place on these outcomes. Our sample consisted of 6397 Finnish children (3232 girls and 3165 boys) from third, fourth, and fifth grades (mean ages 9–11 years). Results showed that the motivational underpinnings of defending the victim, remaining passive, and reinforcing the bully varied. Defending was associated with the expectation that the victim feels better as a result of defending as well as valuing such an outcome. Reinforcement of bullying was associated with negative expectations and not caring about the positive outcomes. Conflicting expectations and values were linked to remaining passive. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for anti‐bullying interventions.

AbstractWe tested whether gender‐specific vs. common classroom norms were more powerful moderators of the association between a risk factor (rejection) and peer victimization among girls and boys. The participants were 1220 elementary schoolchildren from grades 4–6 (with 10–13 years of age). We compared different multilevel models including combined vs. separate regressions for boys and girls, as well as the effects of norms of the whole class, same‐sex classmates, and cross‐sex classmates. Among girls, the association between rejection and victimization was strongest in classes where bullying behavior was common, and anti‐bullying attitudes were rare among girls. Among boys, the strength of the slope of victimization on rejection could not be explained by either common or gender‐specific classroom norms, but boys' level of bullying behavior was related to overall classroom level of victimization. The findings suggest that contextual factors may contribute to victimization especially among high‐risk girls. The importance of exploring multiple levels of influence on children's social development is discussed.

Bullying is a widespread problem in schools and communities around the world, and nationwide initiatives to prevent and reduce it have begun to emerge in European countries. In Finland, the effects of the national antibullying program, KiVa, have been evaluated first in a randomized controlled trial (2007–2009) and then during nationwide rollout across schools (since 2009). The KiVa program has been found to reduce bullying and victimization, while it increases empathy toward victimized peers and self-efficacy to defend them. Moreover, the program has produced reductions in reinforcement of the bullies' behavior. Finally, KiVa has been found to increase school liking and school motivation, whereas it has led to significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and negative peer perceptions among children and youth. The uptake of the program by Finnish schools has been remarkable, as 90% of the comprehensive schools are at present implementing KiVa. The paper describes the development of the KiVa program, evaluation of its effects, and its implementation across Finnish schools. Challenges in sustainability and high-level implementation of the program are discussed.

AbstractThe basic premise that social cognitions guide behavior (aggression) was evaluated within relationships marked by dislike. At Time 1, a disliked target was identified for each participant (195 fifth‐grade children; 109 boys; 11–12 years old at Time 1) who then responded to questions about different aggression‐supporting social cognitions with regard to the chosen target. In addition, aggression directed at the identified peer (from the disliked child's perspective) was measured twice over a one‐year interval. Our results show that aggressogenic thought predicts increases in aggression only when the target is chronically disliked. Moreover, within chronically disliked relationships, the actualization of aggressogenic thought is maximized when children have high initial levels of reactive (in the case of hostile attributions) and proactive aggression (in the case of self‐efficacy beliefs), and when targets are initially high on reactive aggression. These findings suggest that social cognitions, assessed within a specific relationship context, can have more predictive validity than traditionally used decontextualized measures.

AbstractWe investigated person (sex, aggression level), context (witness type, victim reactions), and person × context effects on children's anticipated moral emotions following hypothetical acts of aggression against a peer. Children (N = 378, mean age = 11.3 years) were presented a series of hypothetical vignettes in which the presence of witnesses (no witnesses/most liked classmates/all of the class) and victim's reactions (neutral/ sad/ angry) were manipulated. The results indicated several person effects (e.g., girls anticipated more guilt and shame but less pride than boys; aggressiveness was related to less guilt and shame), as well as context effects (e.g., anticipated shame depended on who witnessed the situation and the emotional reactions of the victim). However, person × context effects predominated. The overall pattern of results indicated that girls and low‐aggressive children were more sensitive to contextual cues than boys and high‐aggressive children. The findings support the importance of a person × context approach to understanding the emotional reactions of different children in different situations.

AbstractWe identified different types of adolescent bullying perpetrators and nonbullies based on peer‐reported bullying, victimization, and peer status (popularity, likeability, and rejection) and examined differences between bully subtypes in typical forms of bullying perpetrated. Moreover, we studied how bully subtypes differed from nonbullies with varying levels of victimization and peer status in academic and psychosocial adjustment. The study utilizes data from 10,689 adolescents (48.3% boys, mean age 14.7 years). Latent profile analysis identified three distinct subgroups of bullies: popular‐liked bullies (13.5%), popular‐rejected bully‐victims (5.8%), and bully‐victims (6.9%), and four groups on nonbullies. High‐status bullies (popular‐liked and popular‐rejected) resembled nonbullies in many ways and had even lower social anxiety, whereas bully‐victims were the most maladjusted group. Overall, popularity seems to protect adolescents from social anxiety, and victimization is related to internalizing problems. Results suggest that bullying, victimization, and peer status can be used to identify distinct subtypes of bullies.

This paper provides an introduction to the Special Issue, A Decade Review of Adolescence Research. In this paper, we describe the goals of the special issue and the process of planning and reviewing reviews. We describe other special issues of JRA in the past decade, and preview upcoming changes and special issues in the journal.