A systematic review of psychological well-being interventions for child victims of school violence

Abstract

School violence is a serious social problem that affects many children and adolescents, with serious repercussions on their psychological well-being. In response to this situation, various prevention programs have been developed and implemented regardless of the role of the minor. Among the actions of greatest clinical and community interest are those focused on victims of bullying. The aim of this study is to analyze the interventions aimed at improving the psychological well-being of victims of school violence, as well as to describe the variables on which they intervene, and the results obtained. The methodology used was a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines and the Cochrane Collaboration recommendations, exploring all the studies published until December 2023 in the main databases. Experimental, quasi-experimental or pre-experimental studies were included, with minors between 6 and 17 years old, victims of bullying. On the other hand, studies where the population was diagnosed with developmental disorders or where the sample size in the posttest was less than 10 participants were excluded. The search yielded 40,120 articles, of which 39 were finally included in this review. Most studies reported that the intervention improved outcomes for victims, with half of them reporting effect sizes. Generally, psychoeducational interventions were described, with the cognitive-behavioral approach predominating as the most effective. The set of interventions collected provides researchers and professionals with evidence of empirically supported techniques that can be used in future interventions with children involved in school violence situations.