ArticleBMC psychology2026
Intervention to address bullying in primary schools in rural China: implementing a social emotional learning (SEL) program.
Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSchool bullying remains a significant concern in primary education globally, with limited research in rural Chinese settings. A wide range of interventions have been developed to address it. Programs based on social emotional learning (SEL) have been effective in bullying prevention in some countries. In Mainland China, reports on the use of SEL interventions in bullying prevention are scarce. This study aimed to determine: (1) whether an SEL-based intervention can reduce the overall prevalence of school bullying behaviors in a rural Chinese setting; (2) whether sociodemographic and other characteristics moderate the intervention effect; (3) how the intervention influences the behaviors and emotional responses of bullies, victims, and bystanders, based on participants’ narratives and experiences.
methodsThe study was a quasi-experimental trial, comprising 16 weekly 90-minute class sessions, conducted among 230 children aged 8–12 years (with 325 controls) in underdeveloped villages of Central China. The evaluation used a mixed-methods design, with a quantitative survey administered at baseline, post-intervention, and five-month follow-up, complemented by qualitative one-to-one interviews. Linear mixed effects regression modelling was conducted to analyze the intervention effects on bullying. Interview data were analyzed using the inductive thematic analysis approach.
resultsTo our knowledge, this study represents one of the few SEL-based bullying prevention interventions conducted in rural primary schools in Mainland China. Statistically significant reductions were observed in self-reported victimization (p < .005), while no significant change was found in bullying perpetration. Qualitative interviews showed the intervention increased children’s awareness of the negative effects of bullying, and improved their understanding of empathy and emotion management.
conclusionsThe intervention was well received by students, and could be integrated into the regular school curriculum, thus facilitating sustainability. More research is needed on the implementation of SEL practices in the prevention of school bullying.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.