Effects of School Bullying Prevention Camp on the Adolescent Perpetrators of School Violence

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a school bullying prevention camp for adolescent perpetrators of chool violence. METHODS: A total of 95 adolescents (boys=73, girls=22) were included in this study. The changes after the program were evaluated using several self-rating scales for the assessment of the degree of depression, loneliness, impulsivity, self-esteem, and interpersonal reactivity compared with the baseline scales. RESULTS: The school bullying prevention camp significantly reduced the degree of depression severity (z=-5.874, p<0.001) and impul- sivity scale (z=-3.861, p<0.001), while increasing self-esteem (z=-2.091, p=0.037). The degree of depression severity (z=-4.635, p<0.001), loneliness (z=-2.168, p=0.030), and impulsivity (z=-2.987, p=0.003) significantly reduced, whereas self-esteem significantly increased (z=-2.221, p=0.026) for male students who had no history of child abuse. However, there were no significant changes after the program for the degree of depression, loneliness, impulsivity, self-esteem, and interpersonal reactivity among female students with a history of child abuse. CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that the development of diverse standardized guidance programs is necessary for teenagers with different characteristics and backgrounds. Such programs are expected to be more effective in preventing school violence.