https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Asian Journal of Healthy and Science

p-ISSN: 2980-4302

e-ISSN: 2980-4310

Vol. 4 No. 1 January, 2025

Bystander Bullying Reduction Interventions: A Systematic Review

Rizal Cahya Ningrat1*, Mahsun Arifandy2

Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia

Emails: rizalcahya97@yahoo.com1, mahsunarifandy45@gmail.com2

Abstract

This systematic review aims to: (1) identify and analyze various intervention programs

conducted to reduce the passive role of bystanders in bullying cases, (2) evaluate the

effectiveness of each intervention program based on its strengths and weaknesses, and (3)

examine the characteristics of intervention programs that successfully change the behavior of

bystanders into defenders. The review process included planning, sourcing, selection, data

extraction, and synthesis of results. Based on 14 articles that met the criteria, several types of

interventions involving bystanders were found, such as bystander education programs,

bystander social skills training, empathy enhancement, and teacher training. The results show

that bystander education and empathy enhancement programs tend to be effective in reducing

the passive role of bystanders in bullying cases. The bystander education program aims to build

bystander awareness about the importance of defending victims of bullying in a constructive

way. Increased empathy in bystanders is shown to motivate bystanders to take action to defend

because they are able to understand the feelings of the victim. Meanwhile, bystander social skills

training aims to improve bystander interpersonal skills in order to effectively interact with

victims and perpetrators of bullying. In general, it can be concluded that interventions involving

education, increasing empathy, and providing skills seem to be more effective in reducing the

passive role of bystanders in school bullying cases than other interventions.

Keywords: Bystander Intervention, Bystander Education Program, Social Skills Training,

Empathy, Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION

Bullying is a social problem that often occurs in society. According to the World

Health Organization (WHO) website, bullying occurs when a person or group of people

show repeated aggressive behavior towards others. Bullying can be verbal, physical,

social, or cyber (Rokhanawati et al., 2020). Bullying is a social problem that has been

found since school age, even in kindergarten (Kirves & Sajaniemi, 2014). Almost every

child may have experienced some form of unpleasant treatment from an older or younger

person (Landreth, 2023). This condition is inseparable from the existence of bullying that

often occurs in schools covertly and is often not reported so that it is less realized by those

around it. Judging from the number of cases that lead to bullying that occurs in schools, it

is clearly an urgent problem to find a handle, so that a safe and comfortable school can be

realized. As there is research by (Kusdaryani et al., 2016)which explains that the

existence of a friendly school for students is a very urgent thing to implement. All

stakeholders who care about education and the formation of a commendable mental

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

attitude or character of students must work together to realize these noble ideals. WHO

reports that 1 in 3 children experience bullying at school. UNICEF Indonesia survey

results in 2018 showed 44.4% of junior high school students experienced bullying at

school. This phenomenon indicates a serious social problem and requires intervention to

prevent bullying.

One of the factors that cause bullying is the presence of bystanders or spectators

who do not take action to prevent bullying. Bystanders often just watch without

intervening. Speaking of bullying, bullying is not a one-to-one relationship between the

perpetrator and the victim. 85% of bullying cases are present in the context of peers. So

in addition to the perpetrator and victim, the other main role is the bystander (Staub,

2017). (Keashly, 2024) define a bystander as a person who is at the scene of bullying and

simply watches or walks away without providing assistance to the victim. Despite not

actively participating in the bullying. The presence of a bystander has an influence ± be

it in the form of support or rejection - on the bullying behavior that is taking place.

Therefore, in addition to the perpetrator and victim, the bystander is also a core figure in

the cycle that participates in the occurrence of bullying behavior.

Research shows that the presence of bystanders can either exacerbate or improve

bullying situations. For example, (Trach & Hymel, 2020) found that when bystanders

choose not to act, bullies feel supported and are more likely to continue their behavior.

Conversely, when bystanders intervene to defend the victim, the bullying situation can

be stopped in a short period of time. However, only 20-30% of bystanders are actually

willing to take action to help the victim (Koehler & Weber, 2018), suggesting that there

are psychological and social barriers that prevent active intervention. There are several

reasons why bystanders tend to be passive in bullying situations. One of the main causes

is diffusion of responsibility, where individuals feel that the responsibility to act is spread

among many other bystanders, so they feel less compelled to help. In addition, fear of

retaliation from the perpetrator may also deter bystanders from intervening, especially

if the bully has higher social power or is more popular among their peers.

Social norms within peer groups also play an important role in determining

whether bystanders will act or not. In environments where bullying behavior is perceived

as "normal" or socially acceptable, bystanders are less likely to intervene for fear of being

rejected by their group. This indicates that group dynamics and social pressure can

significantly influence bystanders' behavior. Furthermore, the lack of skills and

knowledge on how to intervene safely is also a barrier. Many bystanders may want to

help the victim but do not know how to appropriately do so without putting themselves

in danger or making the situation worse. Therefore, interventions that focus on education

and training for bystanders are crucial in an effort to reduce their passive role in bullying

incidents.

Bystanders who do not act in bullying situations not only reinforce the perpetrator's

behavior but also have a greater psychological impact on the victim. Bullying victims who

feel ignored or unsupported by those who witness the incident tend to experience higher

levels of stress and feel more socially isolated (Salmivalli, 2014). Victims who receive

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

support from bystanders are less likely to experience long-term trauma symptoms

compared to victims who do not receive support.

Meanwhile, for perpetrators, the presence of passive or even supportive bystanders

indirectly provides validation for their actions. Bystanders who passively support the

perpetrator (e.g. by laughing or doing nothing) can increase the perpetrator's sense of

superiority and reinforce their aggressive behavior.

Therefore, interventions to change the behavior of bystanders not only benefit the

victim, but can also help reduce overall bullying behavior. Various intervention programs

have been conducted in different countries to reduce the number of bystanders in

bullying cases. However, it is not systematically known which intervention programs are

the most effective. Therefore, this research aims to conduct a systematic review of

existing bystander bullying reduction intervention programs to comprehensively

examine their design and outcomes. The benefit of this research is that the results of this

review are expected to provide recommendations regarding the most effective

intervention programs to prevent bullying through the role of bystanders.

RESEARCH METHOD

The stages of the process in conducting a systematic review begin with planning the

review (identifying benefits and development), implementing the review (journal search,

selection, quality assessment, extracting and synthesizing), and ending with reporting.

Planning the review begins with posing a systemic review question with the SPIDER

formulation (Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research Type). The

question in this research is, what can be used to reduce bystander bullying behavior in

people? Next, the author continues the process by designing search keywords in the

database. After the author gets the terms from the research question, the author

continues the search with the terms found, namely bystander bullying, bystanders,

bullying. And some of the search terms the author used in several databases such as Eric,

Elesevir, Springer, Wiley Online Library, and Taylor & Francis Online. Furthermore, after

several articles were collected, the author checked for duplication using Mendeleyy and

Rayyan. The authors filtered from the title and abstract, and continued with the entire

manuscript. After selection from 272 journals, there were 14 journals that met the

criteria, namely discussing empirical research articles published in the last 10 years,

discussing specific intervention programs for bystander bullying, including quantitative

or qualitative data on the effectiveness of the intervention, describing the intervention

methodology and procedures in detail, listing the advantages and disadvantages of the

intervention program, measuring changes in bystander behavior before and after the

intervention, clearly describing the characteristics of the research subjects. The selection

flow chart can be seen in Figure 1.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Figure 1. PRISMA graph of journal selection flow

The journal selection flow can be seen through the prism graph in Figure 1. The

researcher determines the limitations in the journal review with the journal content

discussing bystander bullying by including interventions for its prevention.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

A bystander can be defined as someone who witnesses or sees bullying but is not

directly involved in the bullying and is not a victim of bullying. Students who witness

bullying can act in various ways, including directly helping the bully by participating in

the bullying act as an "assistant", promoting and motivating the bully as an "amplifier",

ignoring or leaving the bullying situation as an "outsider", or doing something to stop or

disrupt the bullying as a "defender". Research shows that up to 80% of adolescents

witness bullying behavior at school.

The Bystander Intervention Model provides a conceptual framework for

understanding bystanders' self-defense behaviors. The model suggests that bystanders

must go through a series of five sequential stages in order to defend victims of bullying,

namely: (a) noticing the bullying incident, (b) interpreting the bullying incident as an

emergency situation that requires help, (c) accepting the responsibility to intervene in

the observed bullying situation, (d) knowing how to intervene in the bullying situation,

and (e) intervening in the bullying situation. Research with high school students suggests

that each stage of this model is positively associated with self-defense behavior. A recent

literature review examining factors contributing to students acting as "defenders"

showed that altruism, social competence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, perspicacity, and

empathy were all positively associated with defensive behavior.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Table 1. List of interventions that can reduce bystander bullying behavior

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

(Paranti

Takwin,

2022)

109 high

school

students

Empowerme

nt of

bystanders as

defenders,

Improved

bystander

social skills,

Building a

supportive

school

climate,

Increased

bystander

awareness,

Anti-bullying

community

building

Rural

schools can

emphasize

the

importance

of the norm

of helping

students,

while urban

schools

need to

improve the

positive

school

climate so

that

students'

perceived

safety can

increase.

a. Strengthen

the role of

bystanders

in bullying

prevention.

b. Increase

bystander

courage and

social

responsibilit

c. Removing

the

bystander's

internal

barriers to

action.

d. Improve

overall

social skills.

a. Requires

time and

resources for

training.

b. Not all

bystanders

are ready to

become

defenders

right away.

c. May not have

a noticeable

impact on

bystander

responses to

bullying.

(Thomp

son et al.,

2020)

people

a. Crucial

conversati

ons

b. Bystander

action /

bystander

interventio

c. Bystander

support

programs

d. Bystander

training

Bystander

awareness.

Bystanders

do not

always

recognize

and

understand

bullying

behavior,

and

therefore

do not

provide

adequate

support to

the victim.

a. bystanders

can be

agents of

change in

dealing with

harassment.

b. bystanders

are often

present and

have the

potential to

positively

impact the

victim.

c. Alternative

new

approaches

are needed

in addition

to training

or general

policies.

a. It is difficult

for

bystanders

to judge

whether a

behavior is

harassment

or not.

b. Bystanders

have

difficulty

distinguishin

g between a

single

incident and

ongoing

harassment.

(Lesmon

o &

Prasetya

, 2020)

Kritsten

Junior

High

School

students

Empathy

education,

Rewarding

prosocial

behavior,

Emergency

response

training, Anti-

bullying

There is a

positive

relationship

between

empathy

and

prosocial

behavior in

bystanders

a. Increase

empathic

understandi

ng and

awareness.

b. Motivating

bystanders

to behave

prosocially.

a. No long-term

impact, just

providing

information.

b. Focusing on

rewards is

not

necessarily

sustainable.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

group

formation,

Peer

mediation

to help

victims of

bullying.

c. Provide

skills to deal

with victims

of bullying.

d. Facilitate

friend

cooperation

to prevent

bullying.

e. Address

peace issues

and focus on

reconciliatio

c. Not

necessarily

applied well

in real

situations.

d. Depends on

the group,

does not

continue

without

school

support.

e. It requires a

skilled

mediator and

is a lengthy

process.

(Brehme

r, 2023)

419

Students

in United

Kingdom

a. Predicting

college

students'

bystander

intentions

towards

relational

bullying.

b. Contributi

on to

preventive

measures

to foster

prosocial

intentions

towards

bullying

The

traditional

components

of the

Theory of

Planned

Behavior

(TPB),

significantly

predicted

students'

intention to

engage in

bullying

situations.

a. Multidimens

ional

approach:

knowledge,

attitudes,

social norms

and

confidence.

b. Facilitate

participants

as agents of

change.

c. Support the

formation of

participants'

social

networks.

a. Requires a

lot of

resources.

b. Results

depend on

interest and

support.

c. Limited

long-term

measureme

nt.

(Gönülta

ş &

Mulvey,

2021)

179

participa

nts

School

intervention

programs

that increase

bystander

intervention

against bias-

motivated

bullying.

This

research

suggests a

complex

relationship

between

school and

teacher

factors in

shaping

adolescent

bystander

responses

to social

exclusion.

a. Improve

factors that

influence

witness

response,

such as

group

contact,

discriminati

on, peer

norms and

social skills.

b. Directly

target

improvemen

ts in witness

attitudes

and

-There is no

detailed

description of

the intervention

method, so

effectiveness

cannot be

measured.

-Focuses on a

particular factor

without looking

at the complex

relationships of

the variables.

-Evaluation of

effectiveness is

only short-term,

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

behaviors to

reduce

bullying.

c. Develop a

structured

intervention

program in

schools that

is easy to

implement

and scalable.

not measuring

long-term.

-Not

considering

influential out-

of-school

factors.

Implementation

depends on

school

resources and

support.

(Zhang

et al.,

2022)

333

chinese

participa

nts

-Increase

students'

awareness of

the

importance of

social status.

-Encourage a

positive

attitude about

actively

standing up

for victims of

bullying.

Social status

insecurity is

positively

associated

with active

defending

behavior

and

negatively

associated

with

passive

bystander

behavior in

Chinese

adolescents.

a. Social status

awareness

motivates

bystanders

to defend

the victim.

b. Rewards

reinforce

positive

victim-

defending

behavior.

c. Anti-

bullying

groups lead

by example.

d. Skills

training for

effective

victim

defense.

a. Only

targeting

cognitive

factors, not

yet

influencing

behavior.

b. Awards focus

instrumental

functions.

c. Rely on role

models in

anti-bullying

groups.

d. Skills

training

requires

manpower

and funds.

e. Not yet

involving

teachers and

parents.

(Fredric

k et al.,

2020)

336

children

in grades

4-5

Bystander

intervention

model,

improving

empathy and

social skills.

The

decision to

intervene is

the result of

a series of

stages

Cognitive

and

affective

empathy

have

different

roles in the

interventio

n process

a. Using a

systematic

5-step

witness

intervention

model to

identify

intervention

points.

b. Linking

model steps

with

cognitive

and affective

empathy.

a. Did not test

specific

intervention

s to improve

witness

intervening

behavior.

b. Only

implicitly

indicates the

need for

intervention.

c. Suggested

intervention

s are general

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

Internalizat

ion issues

can affect

the

effectivenes

s of

empathy in

driving

interventio

n behavior.

c. Enables

understandi

ng of the

relationship

between

witness

characteristi

cs and

likelihood of

intervention

in nature

such as

empathy and

social skills.

d. Not yet

described

the

intervention

in detail and

measurable.

(Jiang et

al.,

2022)

435

grade 6

students

Increase

student

awareness,

Reduce moral

disengageme

nt,

Developing

students'

social skills, -

Training

empathy and

perspective of

others.

Make the

teacher a role

model.

Building an

anti-bullying

school climate

The

experience

of being

bullied was

positively

associated

with

bystander

behavior

and

negatively

associated

with

defender

behavior.

a. Increase

students'

awareness

of bullying

issues in

schools.

b. Wrap the

issue of

bullying as a

collective

responsibilit

y, not an

individual

one.

c. Practice

empathy

and social

skills that

are useful in

various

situations.

d. Building a

supportive

school

climate on

an ongoing

basis.

a. Only

increasing

awareness

and

understandi

ng, not

necessarily

changing

behavior.

b. Less

attention to

internal

factors such

as sensitivity

to bullying.

c. Lack of

evaluation

and follow-

up after the

intervention.

d. Depending

on school

and teacher

factors, it has

not been

evenly

distributed.

(Moxey

Bussey,

2020)

301

Australia

teenager

s aged

12-17

years

Aggressive

and

constructive

bystander

intervention

styles in cyber

bullying

incidents.

This

suggests

that the

higher one's

moral

disengagem

ent, the

higher the

tendency to

intervene

aggressivel

y, and the

lower the

a. It can help

stop

cyberbullyin

g by telling

the

perpetrator

to stop and

providing

support to

the victim.

b. Be

supportive

and

a. Not all

perpetrators

will heed the

request to

stop.

b. Sometimes it

does not

influence the

perpetrator

to change

their

behavior.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

tendency to

intervene

constructiv

ely in cyber

bullying

incidents.

prosocial, so

as not to

make the

situation

worse.

c. It may be

effective to

scare the

perpetrator

into

stopping

cyberbullyin

d. Avenging

the

perpetrator'

s evil deeds.

c. It can

escalate the

situation and

make the

cyberbullyin

g incident

worse.

d. Often used

for revenge

rather than

to defend the

victim.

e. Doesn't

fundamentall

y solve the

problem.

f. Elevate the

negative role

of the

bystander.

(Nazaro

v &

Averbuk

h, 2023)

1,762

junior

high

school &

vocation

al school

students

Socialization

to raise

eyewitness

awareness of

the

importance of

intervening in

bullying cases.

Education to

provide

examples of

strategies that

eyewitnesses

can take

Witnesses

traditional

bullying,

cyber

bullying at

school, and

cyber

bullying

outside of

school.

Witnesses

who

preferred

not to

intervene

were

highest

among

witnesses of

cyber

bullying at

school,

while

witnesses

who

supported

the victim

were

highest

among

witnesses of

a. Increase

bystander

awareness

and

knowledge

on the

importance

of their role

preventing

bullying.

b. Provide

clear

examples of

strategies

that

eyewitnesse

s can take,

such as

helping the

victim or

reporting.

c. Monitor

whether the

intervention

has an

impact on

increasing

the active

attitude of

bystanders

a. It only

recommends

intervention

theoretically

without

detailing

practical

implementat

ion methods.

b. The

effectiveness

of the

intervention

is unknown

as there is no

follow-up

data on the

results.

c. The

subjective

nature of the

baseline data

from the

questionnair

e made the

intervention

less robust.

d. It only

focuses on

eyewitnesses

in Russia, so

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

traditional

bullying.

preventing

bullying.

the results

cannot be

generalized.

e. There is no

quantitative

measure to

gauge

changes in

eyewitness

attitudes and

behaviors.

(Douma

s et al.,

2023)

126

element

ary and

junior

high

school

students

a. Comprehe

nsive

bullying

prevention

program,

b. Bystander

training

component

c. Stand-

alone

bystander

interventio

Examples:

SPACE

(Students

Promoting

and

Cultivating

Empathy)

and ViSC

(Violence

Preventabl

programs.

d. Bystander

Interventio

n Model

Witnessing

bullying at

school was

a significant

predictor of

depressive

symptoms,

but gender

did not

moderate

the

relationship

a. Educate

bystanders

in decision-

making

against

bullying.

b. Establish a

culture

supporting

defensive

behavior.

c. Systematic

model-

based

training.

d. Integrated

engagement

with the

school's

bullying

prevention

program to

make it

effective.

a. Relies on

self-report so

subject to

bias.

b. Does not

include long-

term

outcome

measures

after the

intervention.

c. Less

involvement

of teachers

and parents

as partners

in supporting

defensive

behavior.

d. Not yet

applied to

various

cultural

contexts,

making

generalizatio

n difficult.

e. The success

of the

intervention

depends on

the ability of

the trainer

and the

resources

available.

(Deng et

al.,

2021)

25012

teenager

Increasing

students'

empathy,

especially

affective

The results

showed that

adolescents'

empathy,

especially

a. Focus on

affective

empathy

that

correlates

a. The cognitive

and affective

effectiveness

intervention

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

empathy, is

believed to

encourage

them to

engage in

behaviors to

defend

victims of

bullying.

affective

empathy,

has a close

relationship

with

witness

defense

behavior in

school

bullying

cases.

with

defending.

b. Educate

students to

understand

the

perspectives

responsibilit

ies, and

benefits of

defending.

c. Potentially

increases

positive

attitudes

and

willingness

to defend.

d. Equip

students

with social-

emotional

skills for

healthy

interactions.

s can differ

between

individuals.

b. Less address

other factors

such as peer

pressure.

c. Intervention

s are limited

to empathy

and

awareness.

d. Less

inclusion of

holistic

theories such

as prosocial

morality.

(García-

Vázquez

et al.,

2022)

685

grade 8

junior

high

school

students

a. Spirituality

enhancem

ent

program

(religious

activities).

b. Subjective

well-being

interventio

ns, such as

improving

students'

happiness

at school.

c. Altruism

training,

such as

teaching

empathy.

d. Bullying

socializatio

e. Peer

helping

program.

Spirituality,

happiness,

altruism

contribute

increasing

prosocial

bystander

behavior,

both

directly and

indirectly

a. Focus on

empirically

proven

positive

factors.

b. Holistic

involves

spiritual,

emotional,

cognitive,

and social

aspects.

c. Potential to

increase

direct or

indirect

prosocial

behavior.

d. Educate

students to

build

character

and social

awareness.

e. Can be

applied

a. There is no

empirical

evidence of

the

effectiveness

of bullying

witness

intervention

b. Success

depends on

implementat

ion and

resources.

c. Long-term

effects need

longitudinal

evaluation

d. Less

consideratio

n of other

factors, such

as peer

pressure.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Author

Subject

Intervention

Results

Pros

Weaknesses

integrated in

schools.

(Qamari

a &

Astuti,

2020)

8 teac

her

Anti-bullying

training for

teachers

Anti-

bullying

training is

able to

increase the

knowledge

and

understandi

ng of

participants

after

attending

anti-

bullying

training.

Increased

teacher

knowledge

and

understandi

ng also

greatly

impacts

teacher

behavior

that is able

to prevent

student

behavior

that leads to

bullying

behavior.

a. Training is

effective in

improving

knowledge

and skills.

b. Materials

according to

the needs of

teachers in

dealing with

bullying.

c. Results were

measured by

pre-test and

post-test

which

showed

improvemen

a. It only

measures

cognitive

improvemen

t, without

affective and

conative.

b. No follow-up

application

of knowledge

is described.

c. Training

period is not

detailed,

long-term

effectiveness

is not clear.

d. Using only

one post-

test, long-

term

retention has

not been

assessed.

Types of Bystander Interventions

Based on the literature review, there are several types of interventions that involve

the role of bystanders in an effort to reduce bullying, including:

a. Bystander Education Program

These interventions provide education and training to bystanders to be able to

recognize bullying events and react effectively to stop bullying. Examples of bystander

education programs are the Riveria Program, Steps to Respect, and Bully Blocking.

b. Bystander Social Skills Training

Provide training to improve bystander social skills in communicating assertively to

perpetrators and providing support to victims. An example is the Bergen program.

c. Improvement of Supportive School Conditions

Establish a caring and tolerant school environment by conducting anti-bullying

socialization to all school members. The goal is to make bystanders comfortable to

intervene if they see bullying.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Effectiveness of Bystander Interventions

These studies show that bystander interventions are effective in reducing bullying.

Some research results found a 20% reduction in the percentage of children involved in

bullying after the implementation of the Riveria Program. Another research found a 22%

reduction after the Steps to Respect bystander education intervention (Mujal et al., 2021).

The Bully Blocking intervention by (Twemlow & Sacco, 2012) also showed significant

improvements in bystander attitudes and social skills in helping victims of bullying.

Overall, interventions involving bystanders can reduce bullying by 20-23%. Thus, it can

be concluded that bystander interventions are quite effective in reducing bullying

problems in schools. The role of bystanders is very influential in reducing bullying.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Implementation of Intervention Program

Based on the literature review, several findings were found regarding the

implementation of bystander bullying reduction intervention programs, among others:

a. Most programs are conducted for 1-2 years with training frequency of 2-4 times per

semester. Only a few programs are conducted for more than 2 years.

b. The program is implemented by targeting students aged 10-15 years in primary and

junior high schools.

c. The training methods used were mostly group discussions, role simulations, and role

playing to keep participants active.

d. Some programs involve teachers and parents to support the success of the

intervention in schools.

e. Program facilitators are mostly teachers/school counselors who have received special

training on the program.

f. Some programs use multimedia such as educational videos to attract students'

attention.

g. All programs were evaluated using questionnaires before and after the intervention to

measure changes in students' attitudes and knowledge.

h. The outcome variables evaluated were mostly anti-bullying knowledge, attitudes

towards bullying, and reported incidents of bullying.

This shows that the implementation of the intervention program was structured

and planned by involving multi-stakeholders in the school to support the success of the

intervention. Participatory methods are used to motivate students to actively learn.

Quantitative evaluation was conducted to objectively measure effectiveness.

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded from the systematic review of intervention programs to reduce

bystander involvement in bullying incidents that there are various intervention

programs designed to reduce the role of bystanders in bullying incidents. These programs

are implemented in different countries with different approaches. Most of the programs

proved effective in increasing anti-bullying knowledge, supportive attitudes towards

victims, as well as bystander involvement in preventing bullying. Participatory

approaches, such as discussions and role plays, tend to be more effective than lectures.

Support from teachers, parents and school authorities greatly influenced the success of

the program implementation. This analysis shows that interventions involving

bystanders, such as educational programs, social skills training, and improvements to the

school environment, can reduce the percentage of children's involvement in bullying by

20-23%.

This research contributes by providing recommendations for adopting intervention

programs that have proven effective in Indonesia by considering the local cultural

context. In addition, it is important to increase the involvement of teachers and parents

in the implementation of anti-bullying intervention programs, conduct regular program

evaluations, and develop specific training modules on the important role of bystanders in

preventing bullying. This research also suggests the establishment of a knowledge

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

sharing forum between schools to support the sustainability of the program. The results

of this research are expected to serve as a reference for the development of better anti-

bullying programs in the future, thus contributing to the creation of a safer and more

conducive school environment for student development.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brehmer, M. (2023). Perceived moral norms in an extended theory of planned behavior

in predicting university students’ bystander intentions toward relational

bullying. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education,

13(7), 1202–1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe13070089

Deng, X., Yang, J., & Wu, Y. (2021). Adolescent empathy influences bystander

defending in school bullying: A three-level meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology,

12, 690898.

Doumas, D. M., Midgett, A., & Peck, M. (2023). The association between internalizing

symptoms and witnessing school bullying and defending behavior: an analysis

of gender differences among elementary and middle school students. Children,

10(7), 1199.

Fredrick, S. S., Jenkins, L. N., & Ray, K. (2020). Dimensions of empathy and bystander

intervention in bullying in elementary school. Journal of School Psychology, 79, 31–

42.

García-Vázquez, F. I., Durón-Ramos, M. F., Pérez-Rios, R., & Pérez-Ibarra, R. E. (2022).

Relationships between Spirituality, Happiness, and Prosocial Bystander

Behavior in Bullying—The Mediating Role of Altruism. European Journal of

Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 12(12), 1833–1841.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe12120128

Gönültaş, S., & Mulvey, K. L. (2021). The role of immigration background, intergroup

processes, and social‐cognitive skills in bystanders’ responses to bias‐based

bullying toward immigrants during adolescence. Child Development, 92(3), e296–

e316. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13476

Jiang, S., Liu, R.-D., Ding, Y., Jiang, R., Fu, X., & Hong, W. (2022). Why the victims of

bullying are more likely to avoid involvement when witnessing bullying

situations: The role of bullying sensitivity and moral disengagement. Journal of

Interpersonal Violence, 37(5–6), NP3062–NP3083.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520948142

Keashly, L. (2024). Bystander engagement with bullying. In Encyclopedia of heroism

studies (pp. 160–167). Springer.

Kirves, L., & Sajaniemi, N. (2014). Bullying in early educational settings. In Early child

care and education in Finland (pp. 93–110). Routledge.

Koehler, C., & Weber, M. (2018). Do I really need to help?!” Perceived severity of

cyberbullying, victim blaming, and bystanders’ willingness to help the victim.

Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 12(4).

Kusdaryani, W., Purnamasari, I., & Damayani, A. T. (2016). Penguatan Kultur Sekolah

Untuk Mewujudkan Pendidikan Ramah Anak. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan,

35(1). 10.21831/cp.v1i1.8383

Landreth, G. L. (2023). Child-centered play therapy. In Play Therapy (pp. 53–98).

Routledge.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp

Lesmono, P., & Prasetya, B. E. A. (2020). Hubungan Antara Empati Dengan Perilaku

Prososial Pada Bystander Untuk Menolong Korban Bullying. Jurnal Psikologi

Konseling Vol, 17(2).

Moxey, N., & Bussey, K. (2020). Styles of bystander intervention in cyberbullying

incidents. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 2(1), 6–15.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-019-00039-1

Mujal, G. N., Taylor, M. E., Fry, J. L., Gochez-Kerr, T. H., & Weaver, N. L. (2021). A

systematic review of bystander interventions for the prevention of sexual

violence. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 22(2), 381–396.

Nazarov, V. L., & Averbukh, N. V. (2023). Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying:

Bystander Strategies.

Paranti, S. M., & Takwin, B. (2022). Hubungan antara School Safety dan Respons

Bystander Bullying pada Siswa SMA: Studi Perbandingan Desa-Kota. Jurnal

Psikologi: Media Ilmiah Psikologi, 20(01). https://doi.org/10.47007/jpsi.v20i01.174

Qamaria, R. S., & Astuti, F. (2020). Pelatihan Anti Bullying Mampu Meningkatkan

Pemahaman Guru Dalam Mencegah Perilaku Bullying. JURKAM: Jurnal

Konseling Andi Matappa, 4(2), 53–61.

Rokhanawati, D., SiT, S., Kurniawati, H. F., & SiT, S. (2020). Gambaran Kejadian Bullying

Pada Remaja. Universitas ‘Aisyiyah Yogyakarta.

Salmivalli, C. (2014). Participant roles in bullying: How can peer bystanders be

utilized in interventions? Theory into Practice, 53(4), 286–292.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2014.947222

Staub, E. (2017). The psychology of bystanders, perpetrators, and heroic helpers. In

Genocide and Human Rights (pp. 263–289). Routledge.

Thompson, N., Carter, M., Crampton, P., Burford, B., Morrow, G., & Illing, J. (2020).

Workplace bullying in healthcare: A qualitative analysis of bystander

experiences. The Qualitative Report, 25(11), 3993–4028.

Trach, J., & Hymel, S. (2020). Bystanders’ affect toward bully and victim as predictors

of helping and non‐helping behaviour. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 61(1),

30–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12516

Twemlow, S. W., & Sacco, F. C. (2012). Preventing bullying and school violence. American

Psychiatric Pub.

Zhang, Y., Tang, Y., Li, P., & Jia, X. (2022). Popularity matters: Moderating role of

popularity on the relation between perceived peer pressure for intervention and

Chinese adolescents’ bystander behaviours in bullying. European Journal of

Developmental Psychology, 19(4), 511–527.

Rizal Cahya Ningrat, Mahsun Arifandy (2025)

First publication right:

AJHS - Asian Journal of Health and Science

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0

International License.

https://ajhsjournal.ph/index.php/gp