Bullying Research Activities and Advances

NICHD supports and conducts a range of research on bullying. In addition to its own research, the Institute collaborates with other NIH Institutes and organizations to further our understanding of bullying.

The following is only a summary of some of the Institute's efforts related to bullying.

Child Development & Behavior Branch (CDDB) research supports a number of projects related to bullying through its Social and Emotional Development/Child and Family Processes Program. Some of these include:

  • Identifying Positive Aspects of Youth Internet Use: The Next Step in Prevention (Michele Ybarra, Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc.)
  • Social Aggression: Growth and Outcomes (Marion Underwood, University of Texas at Dallas)
  • Bullying Prevention Intervention for Adolescent Primary Care Patients (Megan Ranney, Rhode Island Hospital)
  • Reducing Problem Behaviors Through PYD: An RCT of Restorative School Practices (Joie Danielle Acosta, RAND Corporation)
  • Development of the CABS: Child-Adolescent Bullying Screen (Judith Vessey, Boston College)

The CDBB is soliciting Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants to develop and test games that address bullying and cyberbullying, such as games that raise awareness about bullying or help those being bullied cope.

Division of Intramural Population Health Research (DIPHR) research on bullying is aimed at understanding the prevalence and patterns in bullying and how they change over time. Some of the DIPHR projects related to bullying include:

  • Examining cross-national health trends in children, including the prevalence of bullying
  • Identifying bullying and victimization factors in school-aged children
  • Characterizing the link between cyberbullying and depression in both bullies and those who are victimized by bullies

Other NICHD-supported studies include:

  • Co-occurrence of victimization for several subtypes of bullying, including physical, verbal, social exclusion, rumor spreading, and cyberbullying
  • Predictors of being bullied, such as weight status and race/ethnicity
  • Likelihood of substance use among adolescents who have been bullied

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