ANTI-BULLYING LAWS AND YOUTH VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES: A LONGITUDINAL EVALUATION OF EFFICACY AND IMPLEMENTATION

PROJECT SUMMARYYouth violence in the United States is common and is associated with numerous adverse health, academic, andpsychosocial outcomes. Programs aimed at preventing youth violence have shown only modest success.Consequently, researchers have begun exploring additional primary prevention strategies that can augmentexisting programs, including anti-bullying policies. Though all 50 states have enacted some type of anti-bullyinglegislation, there is a striking dearth of research on whether, why, and for whom these laws are effective inpreventing bullying and other forms of youth violence. Pilot data from our research group has provided some ofthe first evidence of the impact of anti-bullying laws on bullying behaviors. While promising, these initial studieshave several limitations, including a reliance on cross-sectional designs, a limited number of states, a narrowrange of youth violence outcomes, and an examination of only one anti-bullying legal framework. Our proposedstudy addresses these limitations through pursuing three aims. First, we will use longitudinal and quasi-experimental data to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-bullying laws in reducing multiple forms of violentbehaviors among youth, including bullying, cyberbullying, peer-to-peer fighting and assaults at school, andweapons carrying. We will also examine whether improved school climate mediates the prospective associationbetween anti-bullying legislation and youth violence outcomes. Second, we will evaluate the effectiveness ofanti-bullying policies in reducing group-based disparities (e.g., sex, weight, sexual orientation) in multiple formsof youth violence. To address these two aims, our team of legal experts will conduct the first longitudinal contentanalysis of anti-bullying laws (and amendments) from their inception in 1999 through 2017; these laws will becoded according to 3 legal frameworks. We will link this legal data to two datasets with student- and school-levelreports of youth violence, including the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Surveys and the School Survey onCrime and Safety. Third, we will evaluate whether fidelity of implementation of anti-bullying laws impacts youthviolence outcomes. To address this aim, we will collaborate with the Maine Department of Education to carry outtwo panel surveys with school administrators and school counselors to measure the fidelity of implementation ofanti-bullying laws. These implementation data will be linked to youth violence outcomes from three data sourcesin Maine, which will include student reports from 5th-12th graders as well as school reports of substantiatedbullying cases. This research is highly innovative in that it uses a multi-method, multi-measure, multi-level, multi-disciplinary approach to pursue these aims. This study will provide the most comprehensive, methodologicallyrigorous evaluation of anti-bullying legislation to date. Findings will provide actionable evidence for diverseactors, including legislators involved in amending anti-bullying laws; state and local agencies responsible forcarrying out provisions of the laws; and students and families who are directly affected by the strategiesimplemented by their schools to adhere to the law.