Prevent and intervene early against bullying in preadolescence to protect cognitive development¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article concludes that because bullying victimization is associated with altered brain morphometry and poorer cognition in preadolescents, and because affected regions play roles in emotional processing and regulation, "early intervention may be critical to prevent negative psychiatric outcomes." The strategy is to prioritize bullying prevention and early intervention during the preadolescent years, when the authors argue the brain is more stress-vulnerable. The authors state the results "allude to the importance of bullying prevention among preadolescent youth."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Identification of bullied children, e.g., via caregiver report as used in the ABCD Study, to target intervention

Constraints¶

• The article did not test an intervention; the recommendation rests on observed brain-cognition associations, not on a trial of prevention programs

Target Learners¶

• preadolescent children (ages 9-10 at baseline in the ABCD sample)

Target Learning Goals¶

• protecting cognitive development including reading, processing speed, and inhibitory control and attention

Related Strategies¶

• Schools should intervene actively against bullying rather than relying on adolescents' social support networks

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Menken Miriam S., Rodriguez Rivera Pedro J., Isaiah Amal, Ernst Thomas, Cloak Christine C., Chang Linda. (2023). Longitudinal alterations in brain morphometry mediated the effects of bullying victimization on cognitive development in preadolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101247