Effects of the Youth Matters Prevention Program on Patterns of Bullying and Victimization in Elementary and Middle School

The authors examined the effects of a prevention program, Youth Matters (YM), on patterns of bullying and victimization among a sample of 876 public school students in grades 4, 5, and 6. Latent class analysis was used to establish classes of bullying, victimization, bully-victimization, and uninvolved students. Prevalence rates and transition patterns associated with bullying and victimization were assessed at four time points. Participants in the YM group transitioned from membership in bully, victim, and bully-victim classes to an uninvolved group at significantly higher rates than their control counterparts. Findings support the efficacy of YM, especially in the first year of intervention (grade 4) and during the first year of middle school (grade 6) when experimental effects were strongest. Implications for bullying prevention efforts are noted.