A cluster randomized study to examine the effectiveness of vignette discussion on sensibility against cyberbullying among adolescents in selected schools at Namakkal

Abstract

Context: The problem of cyberbullying is particularly bad in India which had the highest rate of parents confirming instances of cyberbullying. Methods: After obtaining written informed assent, adolescents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria was recruited and enrolled in this study. Study subjects were allocated into two arms (experimental arm & control arm) as clusters. 50 subjects were allocated in each cluster, in order to prevent sample contamination. Pretest was conducted by using demographic profile & Cyber bullying sensibility scale. Experimental arm received vignette discussion for the development of sensibility against cyberbullying for 20-30 minutes, once in a week for the period of 2 months. Control arm received standard methods of care. Posttest was conducted by using the same assessment techniques in experimental arm & control arm. Results: Wilcoxon signed rank test & Mann-Whitney U test showed statistical significance in increasing the sensibility against cyberbullying in experimental arm comparatively to the control arm among adolescents. Conclusion: Vignette discussion was effective for enhancing the sensibility against cyberbullying among adolescents.