Families can play key role against bullying

A University of Queensland study has shown that families can be more effective in protecting children from bullying than school-based strategies alone. The findings, to be published in the journal Behavior Therapy , show that parents can actively help their children reduce the impact of bullying. The results of a randomised control trial of , a family-based variant of UQ's Triple P - Positive Parenting Program, show the program is more effective than efforts of school staff to address concerns about a particular child. Study author Karyn Healy said the families of primary school-aged children regularly bullied at school participated in the program reported that their children were bullied less and were much less emotionally distressed after the program. "Australian schools are doing a great job of improving behaviour management," Dr Healy said. "However, their current efforts mainly focus on perpetrators of aggression. "More support is needed for victims of peer aggression and children who are well-behaved but who experience emotional and peer problems,'' Dr Healy said.