Evaluation of the First Implementation of the Sohanjana Anti-bullying Intervention: Perspectives of the Institutional Staff

International Journal of Bullying Prevention https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-025-00287-4 ORIGINAL PAPER Evaluation of the First Implementation of the Sohanjana Anti‑bullying Intervention: Perspectives of the Institutional Staff Sohni Siddiqui1 · Anja Schultze‑Krumbholz1 Accepted: 17 January 2025 © The Author(s) 2025 Abstract Educational institutions in Pakistan recognize the concerning prevalence of traditional and cyberbullying. However, there are no evidence-based interventions to address this issue in these institutions. The current study examined the outcomes of the first implementation of the Sohanjana Anti-bullying Intervention, a comprehensive approach tailored specifically for Pakistani educational institutions that addresses the urgent need for a socially and culturally appropriate anti-bullying program. It aims to educate and train teachers to effectively address bullying issues among students by identifying, addressing, and intervening appropriately. The current study involved seven participants from four schools, who received 32 h of training and then applied their acquired knowledge. Data were collected at several stages before and after the intervention, and additional data were collected from staff (N = 101) to examine changes in bullying behaviors. The intervention successfully increased teachers’ awareness of bullying control strategies. Data from the experimental group of trained teachers showed a statistically significant decrease in social and verbal bullying in the post-intervention scores. Although decreases in social, verbal, and physical bullying were observed in the post-intervention data collected from staff, statistical significance was not reached, with the exception of one experimental school in a rural region that showed a significant decrease in physical bullying after the intervention. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed. Keywords Sohanjana Anti-bullying Intervention · Empirical results · Evidence-based intervention · Teachers’ professional development · School-aged children Abbreviations e.g. Exempli gratia/example et al. Et alii/and others etc. Et cetera/and the rest/and so on TRC Teachers’ Resource Center SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences ANOVA Analysis of variance * Sohni Siddiqui Anja Schultze‑Krumbholz 1 Department of Educational Psychology, Technische Universität Berlin, Fraunhoferstr. 33‑36, FH 5‑1, 10587 Berlin, Germany SOLER stands for S: Sit squarely facing the person (indicating interest and attention), O: Open posture (keeping arms and legs uncrossed, which suggests openness and comfort), L: Lean slightly towards the person (showing engagement and interest), E: Eye contact (maintaining appropriate eye contact without staring, to convey focus), R: Relax (being calm and natural to help put the other person at ease) BCyQ Berlin Cyberbullying-Cybervictimization Questionnaire AVE Average variance extracted P.E.A.C.E Preparation, Education, Action, Coping, and Evaluation ViSC Viennese social competence RPC Relationships to grow Exp. Experimental No. Number Df Degree of freedom Vol.:(0123456789) International Journal of Bullying Prevention SB Social bullying VB Verbal bullying Introduction Schools around the world are grappling with the persistent and widespread problem of bullying (Ferrer-Cascales et al., 2019). This harmful behavior has a significant and detrimental impact on students, staff, and the overall school climate (Parveen & Tehreem, 2023; Siddiqui & SchultzeKrumbholz, 2023a). School bullying is understood as repeated aggressive behavior that involves an imbalance of power or strength and is unwanted (UNESCO, 2024). Burger et al. (2015) further characterized bullying as a pattern of aggressive actions intentionally inflicted on individuals to cause physical, emotional, or psychological distress. Its effects extend beyond the immediate victims, affecting bullies and bystanders as well (Armitage, 2021; Hymel & Swearer, 2015; Rodkin et al., 2015). It can affect health, cause children to miss school out of fear, and lead to longterm consequences like incarceration (Wilkins, 2023). Bullying and victimization are associated with negative academic outcomes, including poor performance and increased dropout rates (Asif, 2016; Inamullah et al., 2016). Victimization is also a significant precursor to physical and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, psychosomatic symptoms, poor appetite, stomach ache, dizziness, sleeping difficulties, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and many more (Armitage, 2021; Inamullah et al., 2016). School bullying has lasting effects on victims, bullies, and bystanders, with victims facing ongoing harassment, bullies continuing abusive behavior in adulthood, and bystanders experiencing emotional distress (Padgett & Notar, 2013; Reknes et al., 2021). Traditional bullying, also known as face-to-face bullying, can be categorized into different forms: physical (e.g., hitting), verbal (e.g., name-calling), and social or relational bullying (e.g., spreading rumors) (Jacobsen & Bauman, 2007). Cyberbullying refers to the use of modern communication technologies to engage in harmful behavior. It includes sending inappropriate text messages or images over the internet or other digital communication platforms to target individuals (Mubasher et al., 2023). While there are similarities between cyberbullying and traditional bullying, the pervasive nature of cyberbullying, with harmful messages spreading rapidly across devices and platforms, makes it more difficult for victims to escape (Van Geel et al., 2014). Educational institutions in Pakistan acknowledge bullying and cyberbullying as serious issues but lack contextspecific, evidence-based interventions, while victimization contributes to anxiety and depression among youth, which remains unaddressed due to resource constraints (Mubasher et al., 2023; Murshid, 2017; Musharraf & Anis-ul-Haque, 2018; Parveen & Tehreem, 2023). To address this gap, the authors of the present study have developed a novel intervention in the form of a professional development program for teachers, adapted to the social and contextual conditions of Pakistan. This study presents the results of an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness in reducing bullying and cyberbullying in educational settings. Literature Review Theoretical Framework of Bullying Perpetration and Victimization Bullying is a multifaceted social phenomenon that can be understood through a variety of theoretical frameworks (Evans & Smokowski, 2016). Numerous studies and publications have explained bullying using various theories; however, the present article utilizes Social Capital Theory (Lin, 2001; Putnam, 2000), more specifically the pursuit of social capital and the desire for dominance as key motivating factors for initiating and sustaining acts of bullying (Evans & Smokowski, 2016). Social capital refers to the benefits derived from inte (...truncated)