Evaluating the Be-Prox Anti-bullying program in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care Centers
Results from a Quasi-experimental Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22420693 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ingrid Kvestad (0000-0002-7737-1497, NORCE Research AS, corresponding author), Kyrre Breivik (0000-0002-2774-9658, NORCE Research AS), Anita Skogstrand (0009-0008-4301-2454, NORCE Research AS), Françoise D Alsaker (0009-0003-7017-2166, University of Bern), Mona E Solberg (0000-0003-4548-5606, NORCE Research AS) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Early Childhood Education Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1082-3301 • E-ISSN: 1573-1707 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10643-026-02236-2 |
| OpenAlex | W7160967418 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
The Bernese program against victimization in kindergarten and elementary school (Be-Prox) is one of few interventions targeting aggressive acts and early bullying behavior in Early Childhood and Educational Care centers (ECECs). The current study evaluates the Be-Prox program in 16 Norwegian ECECs (N = 887). The frequency of children exposing peers to negative acts (perpetration) and of children being exposed to negative acts by peers (victimization) were registered pre- and post-intervention. The associations between the intervention and negative acts were examined in mixed-models including the potential modification by age and gender. Introducing Be-Prox in the ECECs was associated with a statistically significantly decline in victimization (-0.73 (95% CI -1.27, -0.19), p = 008), but not perpetration (-0.37 (95% CI -0.96, 0.22), p = 0.219). Although, age and gender did not significantly modify the association, there was a tendency towards stronger associations in children three years and older and in girls. The effect of Be-Prox in a Norwegian ECEC context should be examined in a sufficiently powered RCT facilitating long-term follow ups.
Child care · Early childhood · Early childhood education · Norwegian · Peer review · Psychological intervention · Sociology of Education · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis
Definitions of Bullying
Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying
The Early Childhood Aggression Curve
School Bullying
The Development of Self-Regulation in the First Four Years of Life
The Development of Physical Aggression from Toddlerhood to Pre-Adolescence
Missing data
A Meta-Analytic Review of Preschool Social and Emotional Learning Interventions
Multilevel Analysis
Unjustified aggression in preschool
Psychological correlates of peer victimisation in preschool
Bullying as a group process
Normative development of physical aggression from 8 to 26 months
Understanding the psychology of bullying
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |