Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Research and History

What Are the Effects of the Olweus Bullying What Is the History behind the Olweus
Prevention Program? Bullying Prevention Program?
Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) has been more Although bullying problems among students have been
thoroughly evaluated than any other bullying prevention/ around for centuries, it wasn’t until the early 1970s that
reduction program so far. Six large-scale evaluations involving Dan Olweus initiated the first systematic research study in
more than 40,000 students have documented results such as1: the world on these problems. The results were published in
a Swedish book in 1973 and in the United States in 1978
▀▀ Average reductions by 20 to 70 percent in student reports
under the title Aggression in the Schools: Bullies and Whipping
of being bullied and bullying others. Peer and teacher Boys. For a considerable period of time, up to the early 1990s,
ratings of bullying problems have yielded roughly there was very little attention to and research on the topic of
similar results. bullying outside of Scandinavia.
▀▀ Marked reductions in student reports of general

antisocial behavior, such as vandalism, fighting, theft, In 1983, after three adolescent boys in northern Norway
and truancy. committed suicide, most likely as a consequence of severe
bullying by peers, the country’s Ministry of Education
▀▀ Clear improvements in the classroom social climate,
initiated a national campaign against bullying in schools. In
as reflected in students’ reports of improved order and that context, the first version of what has later become known
discipline, more positive social relationships, and more as the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program was developed.
positive attitudes toward schoolwork and school.
The program was carefully evaluated in a large-scale project
For students in grades 4-7, most of these positive results involving 40,000 students from 42 schools followed over a
can be seen after only eight months of intervention work, period of two and a half years.4 The program has since been
given reasonably good implementation of the program. For refined, expanded, and further evaluated with successful
students in grades 8-10, it may take somewhat more time, results in five additional large-scale projects in Norway.
maybe two years, to achieve equally good results. Since 2001, as part of the Norwegian government’s plans for
the prevention and reduction of delinquency and violence
Please see the end of this document for a list of OBPP among children and youth, OBPP has been implemented on
research articles. a large-scale basis in elementary and lower secondary schools
throughout Norway.

continued…

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© 2007 Hazelden Foundation

All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible. 800-328-9000 hazelden.org/olweus
 Olweus Bullying Prevention Program Research and History continued

Dr. Olweus has for a long time seen the phenomenon of Limber, Susan P., Maury Nation, Allison J. Tracy, Gary B.
bullying in the context of human rights.5 Already in 1981, Melton, and Vicki Flerx. “Implementation of the Olweus
he proposed enacting a law against bullying in schools. Bullying Prevention Programme in the Southeastern
He argued early that it is a fundamental human right for a United States.” In Bullying in Schools: How Successful Can
student to feel safe in school and to be spared the repeated Interventions Be? edited by Peter K. Smith, Debra Pepler, and
humiliation implied in bullying. In the mid-1990s, these Ken Rigby, 55–79. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
arguments led to legislation against bullying by the Swedish Press, 2004.
and Norwegian parliaments. Similar legislation has been
adopted in more than 28 states (at the date of publication) in Nansel, Tonja R., Mary Overpeck, Ramani S. Pilla,W. June
the United States and in several other countries. Ruan, Bruce Simons-Morton, and Peter Scheidt. “Bullying
Behaviors Among US Youth: Prevalence and Association with
During the 1990s, Dr. Olweus worked closely with American Psychosocial Adjustment.” Journal of the American Medical
colleagues, notably Dr. Susan Limber now at Clemson Association 285, no. 16 (April 25, 2001): 2094–2100.
University in South Carolina, to implement and evaluate
the program in the United States, also resulting in positive Olweus, Dan. “Bullying/Victim Problems in School: Facts
though somewhat weaker outcomes. Since then, hundreds and Intervention.” European Journal of Psychology of Education
of schools in most every state in the United States have used 12, no. 4 (1997): 495–510.
the program and the number is growing. Additional studies
“Norway.” In The Nature of School Bullying: A Cross-National
of these efforts are being conducted by the authors of OBPP
Perspective, edited by Peter K. Smith, Yohji Morita, Josine
and other researchers. For summaries and citations of this
Junger-Tas, Dan Olweus, Richard Catalano, and Phillip Slee,
research visit www.clemson.edu/olweus.
28–48. London, UK: Routledge, 1999.
“Sweden.” In The Nature of School Bullying: A Cross-National
Perspective, edited by Peter K. Smith, Yohji Morita, Josine
Research Articles about the Olweus Bullying Junger-Tas, Dan Olweus, Richard Catalano, and Phillip Slee,
Prevention Program 7–27. London, UK: Routledge, 1999.
Limber, Susan P. “Implementation of the Olweus Bullying “A Useful Evaluation Design, and Effects of the Olweus
Prevention Program in American Schools: Lessons Learned Bullying Prevention Program.” Psychology, Crime, and Law
from the Field.” In Bullying in American Schools: A Social- 11, no. 4 (Dec. 2005): 389–402.
Ecological Perspective on Prevention and Intervention, edited
by Dorothy L. Espelage and Susan M. Swearer, 351–63. Solberg, Mona E., and Dan Olweus. “Prevalence Estimation
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004. of School Bullying with the Olweus Bully/Victim
Questionnaire.” Aggressive Behavior 29 (2003): 239–68.
“Peer Victimization: The Nature and Prevalence of Bullying
Among Children and Youth.” In Handbook of Children,
Culture, and Violence, edited by Nancy E. Dowd, Dorothy G.
Singer, and Robin Fretwell Wilson, 313–30. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications, 2006.

Notes 3. Dan Olweus,“Bully/Victim Problems among Schoolchildren: Basic Facts and Effects of a
1. Dan Olweus,”Bully/Victim Problems among Schoolchildren:Basic Facts and Effects of a School- School-Based Intervention Program,” in The Development and Treatment of Childhood Aggression,
Based Intervention Program,” in The Development and Treatment of Childhood Aggression, ed.D.Pepler and K.Rubin (Hillsdale,NJ:Erlbaum,1991),411 - 48.
ed.D. Pepler and K. Rubin (Hillsdale,NJ:Erlbaum,1991),411 - 48; Dan Olweus,“A Useful
4. Dan Olweus, “Vad skapar aggressiva barn?” [What creates aggressive children?], in
Evaluation Design,and Effects of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program,”Psychology,Crime
Normkriseog oppdragelse [Norm crisis and child rearing], ed.A.O.Telhaug and S.E.Vestre
& Law11(2005):389 - 402; Dan Olweus and Susan P.Limber,Blueprints for Violence
(Oslo,Norway:Didakta,1981); Dan Olweus,”Sweden,” in The Nature of School Bullying: A Cross-
Prevention:Bullying Prevention Program (Boulder:Program Institute of Behavioral Science,
National Perspective, ed.P.K.Smith, Y.Morita,J.Junger-Tas, D.Olweus, R.Catalano, & P.Slee
University of Colorado,1999); Jan Helge Kallestad and Dan Olweus,“Predicting Teachers’ and
(London:Routledge,1999),7 - 27.
Schools’ Implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program:A Multilevel Study,”Prevention
and Treatment 6 (2003):3–21. Available on the Internet:http://www.journals.apa.org/prevention/ 5. Standards are taken from John S.Kendall and Robert J.Marzano, Content Knowledge: A
volume6/pre0060021a.html. Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K - 12 Education, 3rd ed. (Aurora,CO: Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning [MCREL],2000).
2. C.B.Fleming, K.P.Haggerty, R.F.Catalano,T.W.Harachi, J.J.Mazza,and D.H.Gruman,”Do Social
and Behavioral Characteristics Targeted by Preventive Interventions Predict Standardized Test
Scores and Grades?” Journal of School Health75 (2005):342–349.

© 2007 Hazelden Foundation

All rights reserved. Duplicating this material for personal or group use is permissible. 800-328-9000 hazelden.org/olweus