Innovative school-based interventions for reactive and proactive aggressors in school bullying

Some critiques have found that the effects of previous school-based intervention programs to reduce anti-social behaviors are unsatisfactory. A critical reason might be a failure to differentiate the two subtypes of aggressive behavior. Therefore, FUNG and colleagues have conducted a series of innovative school-based interventions to reduce reactive and proactive aggression since 2005. These programs can be categorized into four approaches: cognitive-behavioral, physio-moral, neurobiological, and social information processing. The present study reviewed studies based on these four approaches. The four approaches have different focuses—the cognitive-behavioral approach aims to replace reactive and proactive aggressors’ irrational beliefs with new rational ones. The physio-moral approach concentrates on changing beliefs about perceiving and using aggressive behaviors and enhancing empathy competency and prosocial behaviors. The neurobiological approach aims at changing the neurological bases related to aggression. The social information processing approach reconstructs aggressors’ cognitive distortions. The results and implications are well discussed. © Jun Sung Hong, Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Annis Lai Chu FUNG and Jungup Lee 2024. All rights reserved.