How does the school built environment impact students' bullying behaviour? A scoping review

Jacinta Francis; Natalie Strobel; Gina Trapp; Natasha Pearce; Sharmila Vaz; Hayley Christian; Kevin Runions; Karen Martin; Donna Cross

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115451

How does the school built environment impact students' bullying behaviour? A scoping review

Soc Sci Med. 2022 Dec:314:115451. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115451. Epub 2022 Oct 13.

Authors

Jacinta Francis¹, Natalie Strobel², Gina Trapp³, Natasha Pearce⁴, Sharmila Vaz⁵, Hayley Christian⁶, Kevin Runions⁷, Karen Martin⁸, Donna Cross⁹

Affiliations

¹ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: jacinta.francis@telethonkids.org.au.
² Kurongkurl Katitjin, Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research, Edith Cowan University, 2 Bradford Street, Mount Lawley, Western Australia, 6050, Australia. Electronic address: n.strobel@ecu.edu.au.
³ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: gina.trapp@telethonkids.org.au.
⁴ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: natasha.pearce@telethonkids.org.au.
⁵ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: sharmila.vaz@uwa.edu.au.
⁶ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: hayley.christian@telethonkids.org.au.
⁷ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: kevin.runions@telethonkids.org.au.
⁸ School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: ke.martin@utas.edu.au.
⁹ Telethon Kids Institute, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia; Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands, Western Australia, 6009, Australia. Electronic address: donna.cross@telethonkids.org.au.

PMID: 36272387
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115451

Abstract

Rationale: School bullying is a public health concern affecting the physical and mental health of children and young people. While school-based interventions to prevent bullying have been developed internationally, the effectiveness of many interventions has been mixed and modest. Despite a growing recognition that the school built environment may impact bullying behaviour, few anti-bullying interventions have addressed the built environment.

Objective: This systematic scoping review explored existing literature for evidence that the school built environment influences bullying behaviour in school students.

Methods: The review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework for scoping reviews. A search of six databases (Medline, PsycINFO, ERIC, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus and The Cochrane Library) identified studies addressing primary, middle and secondary school students, bullying, school bullying locations, and school built environments. Peer-reviewed journal articles published in English prior to July 19, 2021, were included.

Results: In total, 7568 documents were screened by title and abstract. Following a full-text review, 61 studies (63 articles) were selected; 43 studies identified school bullying locations, and 19 studies linked features of the school built environment to bullying behaviour. Classrooms, playgrounds, and corridors were identified as common bullying locations. Features of the school built environment linked to bullying behaviour included security cameras, architectural design, aesthetics, seating, and vandalism.

Conclusions: This review identified key school settings for anti-bullying interventions and identified gaps in existing built environment and bullying literature. Further analyses of published studies will inform anti-bullying policy and practice.

Keywords: Built environment; Bullying; Children; Peer victimisation; Review; School.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Built Environment
Bullying* / prevention & control
Child
Humans
Mental Health
Schools*
Students / psychology