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Research
Strengthening student social and emotional wellbeing and preventing bullying behaviours: Insights from 20 years of Friendly Schools research in Australian schools.Strong evidence supports our current understandings of student bullying behaviours and ways schools can prevent and respond effectively to bullying behaviour. In the late 1990’s, however, little was understood about the most effective ways to reduce bullying in Australian schools. In response to schools’ need for evidence-informed action, a pipeline of research called Friendly Schools was initiated in 1999 which for the past twenty years, has provided robust whole-school evidence-based knowledge and skills to support policy makers, school staff and other practitioners working in schools and families across Australia.
Research
Norm Misperception and Witnessing Bullying: The Role of Individual and Contextual CharacteristicsPrevious studies have shown that when young people witness bullying, perceived social norms of their peer group affect their behavior. However, few studies have examined the specificity of norm misperception (i.e., overestimation of peer antisocial responses and the underestimation of prosocial responses relative to the objective group norm) on specific witness responses (joining in, bystanding or active defending).
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The Kids researchers finalists in Premier’s Science AwardsThe Kids Research Institute Australia has two researchers and an innovative science engagement initiative as finalists in the 2017 Premier’s Science Awards.
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Prevalence and correlates of bullying victimisation and perpetration in a nationally representative sample of Australian youthThe current findings showed that involvement in any bullying behaviour was associated with increased risk of concurrent mental health problems
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The psychosocial burden of childhood overweight and obesity: evidence for persisting difficulties in boys and girlsOverweight and obese children reported greater psychosocial distress than healthy weight children, and these differences were more pronounced for girls than boys.
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Bullying Prevalence Across Contexts: A Meta-analysis Measuring Cyber and Traditional BullyingBullying involvement in any form can have lasting physical and emotional consequences for adolescents.
News & Events
Friendly Schools goes from strength to strengthWhat began as a small formative research project 20 years ago has grown into a universal bullying prevention and social skills development program which has helped countless Australian children and their families.
News & Events
What are the signs my child is being bullied?More than half of all children who are bullied do not tell anyone.
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School Readiness of Children Exposed to Family and Domestic ViolenceChildren have a universal right to live free from exposure to family and domestic violence (FDV). Children exposed to FDV can experience long-term effects on their physical and psychological health and their social competencies including social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviours that underpin successful social adaptation and academic achievement. The aim of this study was to investigate if children exposed to FDV were more likely to be vulnerable on school readiness measures compared to those children who were not exposed.
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Do School-Level Anti-Bullying Interventions Affect Prescriptions of Prescribed Drugs in Young Adulthood? A Case Using the Olweus Bullying Prevention ProgramSeveral meta-analyses have demonstrated that bullying prevention programs are successful in reducing bullying. However, scant research addresses if and how such anti-bullying efforts affect long-term internalizing health problems and even less on later use of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.